


6th Grade Beginnings

by SakiKitty



Category: Hey Arnold!
Genre: F/M, Implied Relationships, Middle School, Puberty, Teen Angst, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-08
Updated: 2018-10-03
Packaged: 2019-03-28 17:06:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 172,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13908444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SakiKitty/pseuds/SakiKitty
Summary: Directly after the end of TJM, What does life have in store for our new couple and their friends? Read and find out!





	1. Chapter 1

….

"Hey! Hey Arnold, you coming?"

Gerald's voice could be heard in the distance, standing out amongst the loud crowd of kids behind them.

Snapping out of his daze, Arnold turned around with a smile towards his best friend and waved. "Yeah! Sorry Gerald, I'm coming."

Gerald shook his head and continued to walk down the hall way, his friends close behind him "it's pretty amazing how suddenly your parents are in your life now man. I can't imagine how you're feeling but it's gotta be good!"

"You got that right! It's just…" Arnold's voice slowly faded as he dug within himself for a suitable answer "It's just unbelievable. I'm not sure how else to describe it. It's like one moment I've given up all hope on ever finding them, let alone them being alive and the next moment they're following to school!"

While the conversation continued as they reached their new classroom, Helga and Phoebe followed behind about a foot from the boys. Although the topic was important, the girls had something slightly more important on their mind.

"So, how are YOU feeling, Helga?" The small Asian girl whispered to her best friend.

"Huh? W-what are you talking about Pheebs? I'm fine! Totally fine! Fit as a fiddle..." Helga blurted out loudly with a hint of nervousness in her voice and unconsciously rubbing the palm of her left hand with her thumb.

"Well…" Phoebe continued, noticing the topic wasn't going to go smoothly, not that she even thought it would. "So much has happened in the last month and I couldn't help but notice but you didn't let Arnold hold your hand…"

"Yeah? SO?!" Helga replied, sounding angrier than before.

"I just thought..." Phoebe began but was immediately cut off by her progressively frustrated friend who stopped in the middle of the hallway, allowing others to pass around them and giving Arnold and Gerald the opportunity to get into class before them and not listen in.

"You just thought what?" Helga started as she threw her hands in the air "You just thought everything would be all hunky-dory and full of sunshine and rainbows? That I would just lovingly hold the hand of the boy I've been pining over and secretly loving for practically my entire existence? That I would proudly announce to the world that he actually ACCEPTED said love over the vacation period and go about life as if our whole past didn't exist?!" Phoebe remained quiet and calm as her blonde companion continued to rant on, even if she was a little confused as to why she was so upset in the first place.

"I'll fill you in on a little fact there, Phoebe, the past DID happen and I'm Helga G. Pataki!" Helga began stomping around and kicking a few lockers as she did so. "I'm the biggest, baddest and meanest bully in all of P.S 118 and you better believe it will always be this way!"

"But you don't have to be." The small girl finally got a word in between the loud bangs of Helga kicking a locker and almost tripping a kid passing by.

"What?" Helga turned and looked at her, her anger still present but also curious as to what Phoebe was about to say.

"You don't have to be that anymore, Helga. You don't have to keep putting up this facade to make everyone near you run away." Phoebe knew it was a long shot to try and talk any sense into Helga but didn't stop. "We are in sixth grade now and you finally have Arnold's affection! Why not turn over a new leaf and just be you? The Real You."

Suddenly the class bell rang, interrupting heated battle. Helga heaved a heavy, solemn sigh and reached for the door handle "Because… Phoebe," she replied with pain lingering in her voice "The world can't handle the real me…" and with that entered the classroom, leaving her Japanese American friend standing in the hallway.

"Yes… it can… if you would let it" She whispered to herself sadly and followed.

The sixth grade classroom was just as same as the rest of them. Same size, same chairs and same old cabinets and white board with the exception of heavily erased graffiti on the desks and walls. It seemed that with age grew more immaturity… which was counterproductive to say the least.

Mr. Simmons stood at the small podium given to him and tried his best to settle the class down. He had been very familiar with his class but nevertheless still challenging to silence them when trying to make announcements, especially the trio of mischief.

"Good morning class!" He warmly and energetically sang. "Welcome the sixth grade! Isn't it exciting?! You are now in your last year in P.S 118, so this year is sure to be exciting and full of special and wonderful moments!" He continued despite being talked over by Harold showing Sid and Stinky his new pair of shoes that lit up when he stomped hard. The aging teacher pushed back his impatience. "Harold, you can show them your shoes after class so please quiet down and face forward, thank you. I don't want to have to make another call to your mother about these frequent disruptions…"

"Awwww man!" Harold cried and slumped down into his seat while his 2 friends laughed in spite of him.

"Don't get in trouble Harold or mommy is gonna find out!" Sid jeered as he jabbed his chubby friend in the side.

"Yeah or she might take away your Mr. Fudgey's" Stinky chimed in before continuing the laughter.

"Shut up you two or I'll pound you!" Harold hollered and threw his fists on the already breaking desk.

A familiar grown of annoyance came out of Rhonda as she whipped her head around and scowled at the three. "Will you guys ever GROW UP?! You're like a pack of screaming monkeys for crying out loud!"

"Class, Class please!" Mr. Simmons raised his voice once more in attempted to silence the commotion. The image of them all being screaming monkeys gave his temple a throb and a rather unpleasant flashback to only a few weeks prior. Stress had taken over his normal, orderly self and he wasn't in the best state of mind then, giving their circumstances, and would rather not remember it all again.

The classroom slowly quieted down and he was able to continue. "As I was saying, this will be your last year here and thus will also be your last year with me being your teacher, sadly, as I cannot follow you into middle school. Let us all make meaningful and special memories while we venture forth onto the path of knowledge!"

"Crimity! I feel like the school year has already passed with how long this is taking…" Helga mumbled as she fidgets with her pencil.

The teacher chose to ignore her comment and continue on by explaining the upcoming year's lesson plan and what he hoped to have them achieve by the time they graduated. Meanwhile the speech fell on deaf ears as Helga had more pressing things to think about.

So much had happened since the end of last school year. Things she didn't even think were possible. She had gotten the class to go all the way to Central America and rescue Arnold's lost parents. She had trekked through the jungle and fought bad guys and even gotten a kiss in the end for it…. A kiss… Helga could feel her heart race at the memory. All she had wanted to was quickly and silently get her locket from that weird contraption. Her plan was simple. Everyone was distracted so why not race off and pry it out of the stone it was currently lodged in? No one had to know or remember it even existed, but unfortunately that plan was foiled when Arnold, being oddly attentive as he was, saw and followed her to that very spot. He had started his own little speech and began to nervously say things that seemed like a dream. That she was really brave and loyal. That he acknowledged her feeling finally and didn't caulk it all up to the heat of the moment. She remembered how his hands felt when he softly took her wrists; hot and sweaty as if this was the first time he had ever done something like this. Her mind became hazy and as he offered to share their first mutual kiss…

Helga began to unconsciously swoon in the middle of class until noticing and kicking herself in the leg to come back down to earth. "Ow!" she said to herself, now interrupting class and causing everyone to look over at her. "What?!" she shouted to keep composure and the class went back to its usual state, save for one person.

Arnold stared at Helga silently as Mr. Simmons started his first lesson topic of the day. Having no interest in it, he too remembered his awkward confession and began to turn a nice hue of red. Why wouldn't she let me hold her hand…? He wondered to himself. Sure, Helga would always be Helga and that was fine in its own charming way but hadn't things changed now? What were they exactly?

Shortly after arriving back in Hillwood, Arnold's family became top priority to him as he finally got to be a whole family for once in his life. With a mom and a dad along with his grandparents! The feeling was pure unimaginable bliss and something he only dreamed could be a reality, however this did neglect something else now major in his new life…

The young man propped his elbow on the desk and held his head with his hand, looking over Helga from a distance. Normally she sat behind him while he was closer to the front, however this year his assigned seat was closer to the back with her being in front. Had the seating been on purpose or just random? It didn't matter to him. Now he finally had a chance to actually view her naturally, something he had never really done before.

Her hair had gotten a bit longer, but still obtained its original state. Her body had gotten a little taller and figure more pronounced. He watched as she started to actually pay attention to class and chew on the tip of her pencil eraser. Had she always done that? Arnold began to feel a familiar feeling grow in his chest. A strange yet calming warm type of feeling. This feeling had been born at the start of fifth grade year, after she had eccentrically yelled her own feelings to him on top of a building in the pouring rain. Although, at the time, it felt absolutely crazy and he couldn't process any of it, looking back now it seemed almost poetic. A loud storm, heavy rain in the dark of night and there she was screaming about how she loved him. The girl who had done nothing but make him the target of her anger and tormented him for most of the years of his life, screaming how much he meant to her and then forcefully kissing him. That had to be something only capable of Helga G. Pataki. She was the only person he knew capable of such amazing things, whether they be good or bad. Over the last year, he had started to recall little amazing things about her that he had never really realized. Her tenacity. Her passion. Her talents. Had she always been this way? Was the only reason he never saw it before because of all the negative things she did towards him? The more little things he learned, the more this strange little feeling grew and the more interested he became. Many times he had tried to outwardly pursue a friendship with her only to be pushed away and resume the status quo.

Things won't return the way they were… will they? The thought started to make the nice feeling disappear and his heart clench in anxiety. He made his feelings to her clear, right? Surely she understood how much she meant to him… right? The uncertainty began to taunt him until his calm mind came back to take over. I'll just talk to her after school, he decided. I'm sure I'm just overthinking this. Everything will be fine.

Hours had passed and soon it time to go home. Helga had made plans to go over the new English assignment with Phoebe in the library before going back "home" to the beeper emporium, little did she know that a anxious little football head waited for her outside the school. Once school had ended, he knew his parents were still waiting for him so he promptly met them outside.

"Hey son! Is school finally out?" Miles asked, his arms wide open for the awaited embrace with his son.

"We missed you so much, honey! How was your first day back?" Stella added, patiently waiting for her own turn to hug he boy.

"It was fine, pretty normal really" Arnold explained after hugging them both.

"Well come on! Let's go home so you can tell us all about your pretty normal school day!" Miles said while motioning his hand away from the school "I'm sure it will be exciting for us to hear."

As his parents started to lead the way, Arnold nervously hesitated and remained on the stoop "Actually guys, I have to take a rain check and tell you tonight…" he started, sounding disappointed "I have to take care of a few things here first, projects and all…"

His parents stopped and nodded their head. "Oh, of course honey. You take care of your work first and then you can tell us when you get home." Stella smiled, understanding even though she had been looking forward to seeing him since he had left that morning.

"I'm sorry, mom" Arnold frowned "I promise I'll be home as soon as I can!"

He knew reassuring them was the only thing he could do and was glad they didn't take the news too hard.

"No problem, son!" Miles nodded "We'll see you when you get home then."

After another warm hug from the both of them, Arnold waved goodbye and headed back inside to where he would wait patiently for Helga.

"Geez, Pheebs! You'd think they might give us something a little more challenging for homework but this is a breeze!" Helga laughed, scribbling down the answers on her worksheet.

"Yes, however I'm sure this is just more of a refresher, so to speak, to prepare us for what we will have to do later on." Phoebe replied, continuing her own copy of the work.

Helga frowned, erased a sentence she had written and rewrote it. "Come on, don't jinx us."

Her best friend's response made Phoebe giggle. The mood was much nicer now then it has been at the beginning of school and for that Phoebe was glad. Helga's negativity really worried her but hopefully things would progress better for the new couple. She also had her own relationship with Gerald to think about.

They had become official towards the middle of last year so some time had passed but everything was still sort of new for her. Public view of affection was something Gerald was much fonder of than her; however she grew to enjoy it here and there. With new advancements there would be new found joy as well, she liked to think. Helga wasn't one of the most stable when it came to feeling and change but Phoebe knew she was strong. She was the strongest person she knew, actually and this was what made them the best of friends in the first place. Phoebe, the small and meek could always depend on her harsh, loud mouth, boisterous friend to be there for her even in the toughest times.

Finishing up her work, Phoebe closed her book and placed her school papers inside her new backpack and Helga followed soon after.

"A job well done?" The blonde questioned, her eyebrow raised with a smirk on her face.

"Yes" Phoebe nodded, "a job well done." She slung her backpack on and opened the library door to unexpectedly see Arnold sitting on the floor adjacent to them. "Arnold? What are you doing here? And on the floor, I might add."

"A-arnold?!" Helga gulped from behind her shorter friend before instinctively taking a step back to possibly become unnoticed.

Although He had expected them to eventually leave the library, the sudden act of it startled him and left him searching for words. Realizing he had no reason to panic, he simply got up and answered Phoebe truthfully "Oh, hey Phoebe! I was just hoping to talk to Helga before she went home" he slowly glanced over the Asian girls shoulder to make sure his intended was still there "If that's okay?"

Phoebe knew it was for the best and nodded to him and turned to her panicked friend behind her "I'll head home then" She said as she checked the time "Mother is expecting me home soon anyway. I'll see you two tomorrow!" and with that, took her exit leaving Helga to fend for herself.

Mustering up her courage, Helga slowly walked out of the library and put on her usual act. "So what is it you wanted to talk to me about, football head?"

Arnold shuffled his feet and scratched the back of his arm, unsure on how to start the conversation he had planned hours ago. How come he had become so nervous? He was just talking to Helga. It was no big deal, right?

"Well out with it, Bucko! I haven't got all day!" She was becoming impatient. Everything is normal, Helga ol' girl! No need to worry! He probably just wants to ask some silky question. Nothing big or detrimental or important like us or his feelings. Probably… school work! Ya, that's gotta be it.

Taking a deep breath in, Arnold regained his courage and smiled "Can I walk you home?"

The question was so simple yet so unexpected that both of them stood dumbfounded in place. "Uhhh…" she cocked her eyebrow and looked around "s-sure… Arnold, if you want… I mean," suddenly she kicked herself back to normal "I mean- why would you wanna do something like that?! I'm perfectly capable of going home on my own! Sheesh! Do I look like a damsel in distress to you?!" she yelled loudly, becoming her normal animated self.

Smiling from her usual reaction, Arnold couldn't help but chuckle "No of course not, Helga. I know you can take care of yourself." An unintended blush came over his cheeks as his face softened "I just wanted to walk you home, that's all."

As innocent and sweet as the offer was, Helga didn't know how to respond. Willing her guard to fall, she looked around again to make sure no one was listening. "T-that's all…?" she squeaked out.

Arnold nodded and offered his hand with an expression she had always wished to see aimed at her. Her darling football headed love God was looking at her as if she was the only one he could see. They were the only ones in the hallway, of course so logically she really was the only one he could see but that wasn't the point. His half lidded gaze made her begin to melt into place as she took his hand in her trance. The moment their hands met, she could feel their body heat colliding in some sort of unison. His strong yet soft grip is like a long lost lover reuniting to their partners embrace after year's long separation. It's like rain after a century's long drought. It's like, it's like –!

"Uh Helga, you okay?" Arnold asked, interrupting her moment and awakening her back into reality.

Looking at him and then their hands, she forced herself to break away again, causing him to frown and become concerned. "I don't understand…" he started only to be ignored by her marching away towards the school exit.

"Helga! Wait up!" the young man yelled before chasing her until them both stopping at the heavy metal doors. "Helga, why?"

"Why what, Arnoldo?" She responded almost flatly, trying to suppress her feelings deep down inside.

Arnold scowled. He was confused and even a little hurt. "Why can't I hold your hand?"

The question was simple but yet the answer such a complex one that Helga hadn't really sorted out herself yet either. She loved him and he at least like-liked her in some way, right? Enough to share a moment of pure bliss with her so why was accepting his affections so hard?

The silence between them became thick and unwelcoming. Unsure of how to approach her now, Arnold at least held the door open for them both to finally exit.

The gesture was much appreciated, and Helga stepped outside. It was almost 5pm but the sun was still shining and a hot breeze blew past them. Everyone they knew had gone home and all that was left was them and some straggling fourth graders playing kickball on the playground. She knew he was waiting for an answer still and didn't want to sour what they now had between them.

"Arnold…" she hesitated and looked at him. He looked so concerned and thoughtful. He cares so why not just let him in a little. It can't hurt, right?

"Yes, Helga?" He answered as he put on a reassuring smile, hoping she would give in and help him out.

She nudged a motion to forward "Let's walk."

In agreement, they began in the direction of her new place of dwelling. After a good distance from the school and the ear shot of anyone significant, Helga decided to start but first she would give in and enjoy what little she could have of him and shyly grabbed the hand she had pushed away twice in one day. Arnold, admittedly surprised, welcomed her hand in his and smiled as he waited patiently.

"It's just new for me, football head... This whole thing," she explained as she waved their entwined hands to make a point. "It's not that I don't want to. I do, oh trust me I do…"

"Then why act like you don't?" He asked sadly.

With a sigh of annoyance, Helga stopped walking and faced him with an open heart "Because I'm scared!" It was the blunt and honest truth. Before he could question it, she continued "What if people see? What if they think I'm a fraud now? Oh look, Helga G. Pataki has grown soft and- and weak!"

"But you're not weak, Helga! You're really strong and I've always admired that about you!" Arnold debated back, his confidence renewed. "You've always just gone ahead and did what you wanted no matter what the cost! So why is this different?"

"Because it just IS! Okay?!" she retorted back, angrily with a heavy heart. "I just don't want others to see us together yet!" Helga started walking again out of frustration and Arnold followed along awaiting her explanation. "Of course I want to stroll around town, hand in hand with you all lotty-freaking-da! It's something I've always wanted to do but…" her voice began to soften, and her frustration turned into regret "but I'm just not ready to... "

Arnold could clearly hear the sadness in her voice and knew not to press further. Reassuringly, he squeezed her hand and smiled as she looked over at him "Alright, Helga. I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable."

"No." She shook her head and looked toward once more "I'm sorry that things are STUPIDLY complicated. I wish I could fully explain WHY but I can't. Not yet."

Doing his best to understand, he allowed the subject to rest as they were nearing her family's business.

"How long are you gonna have to live here?" He asked as they approached the unsightly building.

"I'm not sure." She replied, "Until Bob decides to stop being stubborn and give up on his stupid idea that people are gonna want his crap relic of technology."

Arnold frowned at her answer but knew it was reality. Bob was one of the most stubborn, hard headed, disgraceful men he had ever met and he knew those traits wouldn't die any time soon. "I hope for your sake that it's soon."

A breeze blew by the couple carrying an old news paper and some rubbish along with it. "Thanks Arnold. It's probably best if I, Ya know..?" Helga sadly looked at her current place of dwelling then back at him. This was the first time she had ever really opened up to him and the air about her seemed sad, but he knew he had to let her go for now.

"Yeah. I'll see you tomorrow…" He said as his voice quietly trailed off and he looked to their married hands. She noticed it too but didn't want to be the first to let go. His hand was so warm and comforting that she could live in his palm and die happy. With a few more seconds of silence between them, Arnold decided it was time to do something that might lighten the mood a bit. It wasn't something he was used to doing but now might be a good time to start. "Hey, Helga?"

"Yeah?" she replied calmly, her eyes not breaking away from his.

Suddenly he lifted their gripped hands to his lips and kissed the top of her own. "Have a good night" He smiled warmly as he let go, admittedly a bit nervous to how she would take it.

Helga looked at her hand quietly until a smile graced her lips and a small hue of red to her cheeks. "Same to you, football head."

Arnold gave a half embarrassed smile, scratched the back of his head then turned around and made his escape. His heart was pumping a mile a minute and he wasn't sure if he loved it or if he was gonna die of anxiety. I can't believe I just did that... He thought in astonishment, still making quite a nice pace as he headed home. He had a similar feeling about himself when he allowed their kiss to happen back in the jungle but this felt a little different. Was it because of their small progress? Her opening up on her own accord and his quick decision to make her happy? Who knows but his face broke into one of the biggest grins he could muster.

Helga watched him as he hurried away from her, swooning on the sidewalk. Gripping her precious kissed hand with her other, she clutched it to her heart, letting out a loud sigh of happiness.

"Oh my beloved..." She started before twirling around in place, "How I dreamed for this day to finally arrive. For you to walk me home, for you to be so concerned over how I was feeling, for you to give me the sweetest gift I could ever dream of..." Helga looked down at her hand again then gave a little smirk "Well technically, second sweetest..." and she pursed her lips together, doing her best to relive the moment of their kiss."One day, I hope we can openly show the world our love. One day..." Suddenly she felt a twinge of annoyance with herself, knowing full well that the reason the world couldn't know was because of her own insecurities "Unless I screw it up. Oh, how I wish I was a little bit more open with you!" She pulled out her dated locket and peered into the face of her loved one. "How I wish I could show the same enthusiasm about us in front of you like you can with me! How horrible I am for making you worry..." With a solid mind and steeled will, Helga nodded to herself and quickly walked to the doors of the emporium. "I'll figure out a way to make it up to you, even if it means taking some stupid potion again or having to go back to that shrink!"

Helga swung the doors open and stomped inside, causing little to no attention from those already there. No one ever felt the need to really acknowledge her presence unless it meant they benefited from it, and sometimes like now, it was even a blessing. She didn't need anyone nosing into her business! Quickly, she ran passed the towers of unsold beepers covered with dust and her parents, who were occupied with their own life, and made her way into her new "bedroom", as it was called. In reality, it was an old janitorial area that had the guts cleaned out and her bed shoved into a corner. There wasn't much room in there but she had all she really needed in her "utility" room in the basement which the entrance was conveniently located inside said bedroom.

Moving into her new closet, Helga pulled on the rope lever above her Arnold shrine and made her way down into her sanctuary. Inside was much more than just more Arnold paraphernalia but her computer, poetry books and journals as well. There was where she could really be at home. Luckily she could hear her booming father walking around upstairs and knew when she had to retreat back into her closet but now wasn't that time. Now was time for own personal reflection and self improvement so she could be closer to her football headed dream boat!

As Arnold got to his boarding house, he knew he had to make up his lost afternoon with his parents but wasn't sure how. They were expecting a full recap on his day but... he knew he had to make something up for the last few hours as he wasn't fully comfortable with them knowing his intimate life yet. He opened the door and casually walked inside "I'm home!" He called out and strangely, no one came out to greet him. Tilting his head with concern, he walked through the house in search for pretty much anyone. As he approached the kitchen, he could hear muffled talking so he made his way inside. There, his parents and grandparents sat at the table and what seemed like them recalling the good old days.

"Oh Arnold! We didn't hear you come in!" His grandpa waved as he gave Arnold a welcoming gesture.

"Come in and have a nice cup of green tea, dear" smiled his grandma as she pulled out a chair and went to pour him a cup.

Taking the offered seat next to his parents, Arnold beamed up at them "What are you guys talking about?"

"Oh you know, this and that" His mother answered, scooting herself closer to her son and placing her hand on his back. "How was your day at school?"

"Yes! We're still eager to hear how your first day went!" His father chimed in, raising his cup of tea in cheers of his son coming home.

"Now, now you two..." Phil said, placing his hand on the table to draw attention to himself "Let the boy breathe. I'm sure he'll tell us all about his adventures from being a new sixth grader!"

Having all eyes on him, Arnold slowly re-accounted the day in his mind before explaining it in great detail as to not disappoint. His listeners nodded and asked questions, making the conversation very wholesome and enjoyable. As he got to the end of his day, he took a big gulp of his tea and let out a satisfied sigh. "And that's about it." He finished.

"But what about your project that you stayed after school to start?" Stella asked, turning to her husband for confirmation "How did that go?"

"Yes!" Miles coaxed, "What was the project on?"

Arnold nervously pushed his tea cup aside and rose to his feet. It wasn't like him to have to lie or make something up and, although this wasn't his first time, it was never easy for him. "Umm... It was just a normal project, you know?" He smiled nervously to his elders.

"On what?" His father said curiously, continuing to push the subject.

"On..." Arnold wondered to himself, looking around the room for some ideas. He glanced at his parents, then grandparents before having an idea. "On public relations! Yeah!" Arnold almost felt proud of himself as it was almost the truth. It had to do with relationships of a rather public kind... sorta?

Miles cocked his eyebrow and chuckled a little in what seemed to be an uncomfortable way "That's rather odd to have a project on."

Phil hummed and grabbed his grandson's attention. "That is a little odd... It makes me wonder if maybe it had something to do with behavioral science... maybe bullying in the workplace?"

Arnold felt a little shocked at his grandpa's suggestion, however the elderly man knew Arnold well enough to tell when he was lying and he could feel himself get a tad more comfortable. "Yeah, you could say that."

The parents exchanged looks of confusion but decided not to press further "Well okay, I hope your project comes out alright. A little heavy of a subject, if you ask me" Miles crossed his arms and rested his back against his chair.

"Oh I dunno, son" Phil continued "I'm pretty sure our Arnold her has a rather knowledgeable partner he's working with, dontcha Short man?"

Feeling the red rush into his cheeks, he watched as his parents began to get an idea of his grand father's implications and decided to move the subject far away. "I'm getting pretty hungry guys! What's for dinner?" He did his best in improvising.

This made his grandma's eyes light up as she had a rather interesting idea for dinner and she began to explain "I'm preparing a nice fish eye stew for us tonight, kimba! With a side of pig ears and cricket corn bread for extra protein that you'll be needing on your hike through the Appalachian mountains tomorrow!"

A shiver went through Arnold even though he knew his grandmother was joking. "That sounds... great grandma!"

"Actually, it does sound like a pretty nutrient filled dinner" Stella smiled at her mother in law, causing the old woman to get excited. "All of those things are very common meals in other parts of the world! In fact, in most cultures eating bugs is a common every day thing! You wouldn't believe how good for you they are!"

"Uh huh..." Phil said, looking at Arnold for the same mutual feeling of disgust "That's very interesting however I think meatloaf sounds like a better plan for tonight. What do you think, Arnold?"

Arnold laughed and headed towards the kitchens exit "That sounds pretty good too! I'll be in my room doing some homework, call me when it's done!" He waved before exiting completely. The sooner he could get up to his bedroom the better.


	2. Chapter 2

"Oh Arnold... You have brought me along into such a bright and dazzling world! And in the midst of that light, my love radiates so that I can't see a thing. Blindly, I would follow you, my love! I bare myself naked in front of you, pure of thought, love and emotion... if only you would have me to. I would sing the song of our love to the night, to the morning, to the skies and the sea... and yet..." Helga clutched her locket to her heart as she gazed up at the large bright moon in the sky from her basement window. It had become late into the night and she grew longing for him. "And yet I let the ice build around me as some sort of fortress to the rest of the world. You beg to be let in and break it down but my hearts keepers say No! Why must I torment myself this way! Is it penance for the torment I have caused you throughout your childish life? My golden haired king; my muse; my beloved... How can I let myself let you in? Surely there is some way..."

Slowly she sunk to her knees, eyes still locked on the luminous orb. "If only you could hear this plea... Please, be the thoughtful and wise soul you are! Break me of myself and free the being within!"

Within her dreams that night followed flashbacks of her preschool years that tormented her. Kids laughing and pointing fingers. Her love being mocked like some sort of clown at a circus. Within that circus, her father; the ringmaster. He pointed them towards her and engaging the crowd, they all laughed as she lay naked in front of them all. Jeering, they threw things her way. At first, soft rotten fruit that splattered all over and around her, next harder things like rocks until she was covered in a solid foundation... the foundation of which her whole facade was built.

"You gotta come out..." She heard a familiar voice pillow into her ears "You can't stay in there forever..."

Her heart pounded. No... I must stay here, where it's safe! They can't hurt me anymore now... she sunk deeper and deeper beneath the rubble.

"Please..." It begged but she wouldn't budge. Outside she could still hear the crowd. Still see their ugly laughing faces. How silly it was for her to think she could be loved. She wasn't beautiful and perfect like her sister. She wasn't smart and skilled with various talents that would win her awards and scholarships. She was ugly and underdeveloped compared to that of her astounding sister and peers. "You're really brave and loyal..." It continued. "If you won't come out, why not let me in?" Her heart pulsated within her chest. Let you in...

"Yes. Let me in..." It sang back as some of the stones surrounding her crumbled. Light began to peer through and the crowd's voices began to die down. You want to come... in? Why would anyone want to come in? This is a fortress made up of anger and resentment. Of humility and self loathing. I must keep all this inside! She cried, if I open this barrier, then what will protect me from... from them! Helga shook from within and the crowd got louder again. She could feel more things being thrown even though they couldn't reach her and it didn't hurt anymore. "Let them see the real you!" The real... me?

"Yes, the real you... The real Helga that I know..."

The real me.

"Helga..."

The real me...

"Helga!"

"Helga, get your lazy butt out of that bed and come help with customers!" The sleeping girl suddenly awoke to the harsh loud tone of her father. "Crimity!" He yelled before she heard him stomp away from the door between them. What time is it..? She wondered as she picked up her alarm clock. 6:45 am. Rubbing her forehead, the girls head started to pound. When was it she fell asleep last night? It made her wonder if this is how Miriam felt waking up with her frequent hangovers.

Removing her bed covers, Helga swung her legs over her bed and dropped down to the floor. It was cold and only sent further signals to her head to hurt further. She walked over to the light switch by the door and turned it on. "Geez..." She moaned in frustration, still groggy and full of random memories of last night's dream. "What was that all about?" She spoke aloud, walking over to her dresser and pulling out her usual school attire. Slowly she adorned it, opened up her door and walked into the hallway leading to the beeper showroom where she knew her dad was bound to be. Standing there with his arms crossed and tapping his foot impatiently on the ground, Big Bob Pataki glared at his daughter.

"What's wrong with you, girl! Don't you know the beeper sale started over 45 minutes ago?" He bellowed at her. "I'm going to need your help!"

Helga looked around the room. Miriam was lying on the couch asleep, and there were no customers in sight. "What exactly do you need myself with, Bob?" She asked in a soft but aggressive tone. "Are there ghosts trying to buy beepers, AGAIN?"

"Hey! Don't you sass me young lady!" He stomped towards her and put his fat finger in her face. "Today is the day we get back on our feet so you park your fanny over by that door and greet customers when they come in!"

Helga looked over at the large clock by the checkout desk. It was now 7:15. "So you're telling me this sale started an hour and fifteen minutes ago and no one has showed up, yet you want me to waste my day greeting all your non-existent customers?" She growled back, narrowing her eyes at the large man. "You do this every week! There is no sale, BOB! No one is coming! No one ever will!" She began to yell out of frustration, as she picked up her backpack next to the couch, startling her mother, and headed towards the door. "Face it! This-" She waved around at the establishment, "All of this is done! Take you're good pal Robbie's advice and count your losses and move on!"

"Move on?!" He continued to yell as he walked towards her. Once he got inches from her face, he propped his hand against the side of the door "I put my life into this business and you think I should Move on?! Look here little missy, you're going to apologize for those words after today's sale because we're gonna make it rich!"

She could feel his breath plunder her face in a disgusting puff and scrunched her nose. This had been a normal thing, as of late. Bob had become far more aggressive than normal ever since his friend and partner told him to give up. It was rather pathetic at this point to continue trying and everyone knew it but him. "Sure dad," Helga sighed as she pushed on the door behind her, letting the cool breeze make its way past them, "And I heard pigs are gonna fly any day now..."

Helga turned away from him and exited the building, her father still hot on her tail. "You get back here, right now!" He demanded but, to his dismay, was completely ignored as she continued to walk across the street.

"I have to go to SCHOOL!" She yelled back, once at a safe distance from the man "Where I can learn and actually DO something with my life!"

As she spoke those words, Helga felt a small tap on her shoulder. Turning with swift might, she stared down at her tiny best friend who had a shocked expression. Without so much as a word, Helga grabbed Phoebe's hand and marched away, leaving Bob to yell incoherently in the distance.

Phoebe knew it was smarter to not ask questions and just obediently follow. She could hear their argument from a mile away and knew what it all about. Helga eventually let go of her hand and readjusted her back pack, huffing and puffing with anger as she did so.

"Good morning, Helga." The small girl politely said after enough time had passed. Helga responded back with a mumble and a grunt. "I see he's at it again..."

"Well DOI Phoebe!" Helga finally answered in a loud cry, "He won't stop! Every single day it's the exact same thing. He wakes me up all freaking early, going on and on about customers that don't exist and insist on me staying home!" Helga's breathing started to become shallow, as she continued on with her rant. "I can't wait until we can't pay rent at this place either and the bank kicks us out! Then maybe he'll wake up! And at least THEN they'll repossess all those stupid beepers so he can't continue to cling to them like they're his only world!"

"But Helga!" Phoebe spoke once her friend was finally done. "That would mean you would be homeless! You shouldn't wish for that..."

"It would be better than dealing with HIM like that every stinking day!" The blonde girl retorted.

"Helga..." Phoebe scolded, looking up at her tall and hopelessly frustrated companion. "You know that isn't true. He'll have to give up at some point... Why don't you stay at my place for a while?"

The two ended up at the intersection where they regularly met their two male partners and stood there waiting patiently. "You know he won't let me, Pheebs..."

"How about we tell him that there is some big talent show going on and we have to practice at my place?" Phoebe suggested hopefully.

Helga shook her head and looked towards their now appearing other halves in the distance "It wouldn't matter. There are only 2 things that matter to him and that's Olga and his business."

Phoebe knew she wasn't wrong and only hung her head in defeat. It was wrong for Helga to have to deal with such abuse but there wasn't anything she could do.

Eventually the boys caught up to them and apologized for being late. "Sorry guys," Gerald started looking more annoyed than normal. "Timberly and my parents got into a heated fight and I, of course, had to break them up..."

Arnold gave a small laugh "It was actually quite a sight. Gerald, the mediator!"

The dark skin boy glared at his shorter blonde friend before clearing his throat and taking his girlfriends hand. "Yeah, whatever man. Let's just go..."

Arnold nodded then turned to Helga, who looked like she hadn't had the best morning either. He could see the circles under her eyes like she hadn't slept in days and her flushed skin tone. Turning to look at Phoebe, she responded to him with a stern head shake as to not bother asking and he understood. The couple started to walk ahead as Arnold kept up with Helga's own pace.

"Uhhh... Nice weather this morning..?" He tried but got no response from the girl. He knew it was a long shot but couldn't stand their silence. She looked so... so hurt. I wonder what could have happened... He thought, as he put his empty hands into his coat pocket. Arnold could hear Phoebe trying to cheer up Gerald and he could only wish to do the same.

The walk seemed longer than normal as the atmosphere was dark and dreary. It was almost a relief to reach their classroom and sit in their respective seats, at least then he was able to watch her in secret and ponder what to say next.

Mr. Simmons walked into class, his usual cheerful self and greeted the class warmly. After a moment to quiet the classroom, he explained our new project.

"It's called Recycling Treasures of the Past!" He exclaimed excitedly, "P.S 118 got a letter from our mayor yesterday evening stating that she wanted to hear our future's voice and ideas on how to reinvent the city and some of its landmarks! Doesn't that sound like fun?!" He cried in happiness as the rest of the room let out a groan. "I want you all to go to various, run down places and imagine what could be done to reclaim it, so to speak."

Gerald raised his hand, "You mean like we did with the old abandoned lot a few years back?"

"Sort of, Gerald!" Simmons smiled, as he started writing on the board behind him. He drew a plastic bottle then explained how it could be cut and made into a bird feeder, along with a few other suggestions of how recycling could benefit the city. "The skies are the limit to where you can go and what you can think of! I want you to visit buildings that have been abandoned and envision how you could fix them up and make something new from them! Whether it be your own business or a new one built in replacement of them. Something that could be... revitalized or refurbished into something helpful."

"So you mean like tearing down a gross used clothing store and putting in a Rauphiell Laurel store instead?" Rhonda asked as she crossed her legs and looked intrigued.

Mr. Simmons gave a tired and sad look. "No... I mean like taking a littered shore that is seemingly unused and making into maybe a park, or something that could be enjoyed by the public."

Arnold thought of the humanitarian project he had just done a month or so back to help refurbish a bunch of garbage into a house for Monkey Man and how it didn't work out so well. Slumping in his seat, images of the homeless destroying it flashed in his mind and the project somehow didn't seem very fun.

"The project is due at the end of next week so you have plenty of time to think about it." The balding teacher finished, with a smile as he erased the drawings on the board. "I look forward into reading all your ideas and maybe pitching these ideas to the mayor and make them a reality! Doesn't that sound awesome?" The class began to talk among themselves excitedly about ideas.

"Now I know all of you will have your own special ideas but, because our time is limited to hand these ideas in, so you'll be grouping into pairs of two to decide when and where you will be doing this. I want your plans handed in at the end of class!" He finished before fumbling into his desk and pulling out papers that he handed to each student.

As Arnold was handed his paper, he immediately looked to Gerald who seemed to already be grouping with Phoebe. "Dang it..." Arnold swore under his breath. Gerald had always been his partner with the exception of a few projects.

Meanwhile, Helga was feeling the same betrayal as Phoebe giggled and began to plan ideas with her oh so cool boyfriend. She crossed her arms and closed her eyes to relax as her headache was starting to reappear. Could today get any worse? We only just started school and already have a big project to do? It's like we're slaves of something... Placing her hand on her forehead, she decided it would probably be best if she head to the nurse and got some aspirin.

Helga rose from her seat and headed to talk to their teacher, who nodded and handed the young girl as pass. Arnold watched curiously before quickly picking up his body and caught up to her at the door.

"Hey Helga, where are you going?" He asked, cautiously touching her shoulder.

Instinctively, she swatted him away before actually noticing who he was. "Oh, Hey..." She responded dully without looking at him "The nurse's office."

Alarmed, he followed her out of the classroom and shut the door behind them "Why? What's wrong? Are you sick? Do you want me to come with you?" His words were going a mile a minute and only making her head throb more.

Wanting nothing more than to just shut him up, she waved him off "Yeah sure, do whatever you want Football head just keep your voice down, will Ya?"

"Oh..." He looked back at the class room and then back at her and noticed she had already began to walk ahead. Normally he would have told Mr. Simmons he was accompanying her but made this time an exception. Quickly, the boy followed after her until catching up and remaining at her pace.

"What's wrong?" He asked again, this time even more concerned. "You didn't look so good earlier either... you sick?"

Helga gave a heavy sigh and continued onward "Just a headache, no big deal." She looked down at him for a moment, then back in front of them "You don't have to follow me, Arnold."

"I know... But I want to." He smiled, doing his best to make her feel even a little bit better.

The thought of his concern made her heart flutter a little. Despite all the bad that was coming from her waking up that morning, at least she still had him caring about her.

"You're such a goof." She chuckled as they reached the nurses office door. "I'm just going to get an aspirin, stay here."

Arnold nodded and did as he was told, waiting on the bench outside the door. Helga disappeared into the room and he sat there in silence. I hope she's okay... He thought as he patiently. I wonder if I can get her to tell me what happened. Or maybe I should just let her talk to me on her own...

He waited for what seemed like forever until she came back out and mumbled something under her breath. "What happened?" He asked, following her as she walked away again.

"Geez Arnold!" She shouted his way "Nothing of any importance!"

Arnold smiled as she seemed a little like herself again. Maybe the pill was starting to take effect. It was a bit silly to him that he was getting happy over her yelling at him. "So... Wanna work with me on that project Mr. Simmons was talking about?"

"What project?" She asked blankly before looking at him.

They both stopped. "The one about revitalizing the neighborhood?" Arnold raised an eyebrow "You know, fixing up the bay area or turning old abandon house into a homeless shelter or something...?"

Helga gave a nervous giggle "Oh, THAT Project..." She knew Phoebe had already grouped up with tall hair boy but was surprised that he actually wanted to work on the project with her. "I mean, I guess it wouldn't be so bad working with a dimwitted football head like you for a change..."

She definitely is back to being Helga again, Arnold thought happily as he opened their classroom door and let her in first before following suit.

"Great!" He responded as he looked around the classroom to see if anyone had noticed they were gone which thankfully wasn't the case. "Do you have any ideas on where or what you'd like to do it on?" He asked as he followed her to her desk.

"Nope. Not a clue in the world. I'll let you figure out that one." Helga dismissed, pulling out her pen to write her name on the worksheet. "You're always full of bright ideas, right?"

Arnold was surprised to hear a possible compliment from her, but took it with pride.

As he spoke aloud ideas, Helga scribbled them all down halfheartedly and Arnold started to remember some of the projects they had worked on together in the past. Their ant science project: which started out okay but ended pretty badly since she was being unreasonable, but even after all their dysfunction they ended up working together and getting a passing grade. Their parenting egg project: which started out very horrible as he was attempting to get ahead of himself with her bad attitude, to ironically have foiled her plans to attempt to be nice but in the end, it wasn't so bad when they tried to work it out and ended up passing again. Finally there was the Float Parade, where she willingly helped him get funds from her father to help build it into something magnificent! Only to have her father ruin it by masking it as a beeper. Fortunately for him and his class, the car ended up going out of control and wound up shredding the beeper and relieving their hard work to the city and winning!

I guess working with Helga has always yielded some sort of positive outcome. He thought as he watched her work, unable to keep himself from smiling. Although she seemed like she hated school and everything was such a bother, she was actually rather successful at the projects she immersed herself in. Come to think of it... He further pondered Her works within the last few years; she has even rivaled Phoebe in the top grades of our class! The warm feeling in his chest returned as he continued to gaze at her, half lidded and full of hope. It was astonishing that he had never noticed these things even though he had known her practically his whole life.

Noticing that Arnold had stopped blurting out random ideas, Helga looked up at him and saw his expression, causing a red hue to darken her cheeks. There was no mistaking the look her was giving her as she had only made it half a million times in her life of knowing eyes met for a brief moment and his feelings seemed to pour into her own as they danced only within their own world together.

Suddenly they were jolted back into reality by a loud crash from behind them. Turning instantly, they saw their jinxy classmate Eugene on the floor and his seat turned over with him. "I'm okay..." He whimpered as his partner Sheena scrambled over to help him up.

"You really must be more careful Eugene!" She said, worry in her voice as she collected his things that were now scattered around the floor. "You might end up hurting yourself really bad and..." she gulped "Bleeding again..."

Eugene smiled as he helped her put everything back into place "Gosh, I'm really sorry Sheena! I promise to be more careful next time!"

"Geez... You'd think after probably breaking all the bones in his body by now that the loser would learn!" Helga scoffed, returning back to her paper and erasing the accidental mark she had made when flinching from the loud sound.

"Yeah, you'd think that..." He replied softly, sounding as if he had just woken up from a dream.

"Psh... Moment ruined." Helga unthinkingly blurted out, causing her partner to look at her in surprise. "I-I mean..." She fumbled for words to come out but to no avail.

"You mean...?" He coaxed, almost trying to help her make something up in sake of herself.

"I mean..." Helga then suddenly kicked him in the shin and returned to her work. "Shut up, football head and get back to work! Doi!"

Unable to contain his yelp of pain, Arnold covered his mouth in attempt to now bring attention to himself. "Ow! Don't be so rough, Helga!" He scolded.

"Well don't be so dumb, Arnoldo! Sheesh! This project isn't going to think itself up now is it?" She retorted, doing well to change the subject and not have to explain herself.

Class eventually broke into lunch and the students gathered their things and made their way into the cafeteria. The meal was mediocre at best, per usual, and all the student cliques stayed at their own respective table, save for a few minglers here and there.

"Ugh! Oh my gawd! Nadine! Would you get a look at that dress?!" Rhonda shouted, so loud that the whole room could probably hear her. She turned her magazine left, then right, and then pulled it far away from her face as to possibly see different angles on the one picture. "I just don't get it! How could that even look good?!"

Nadine had taken no interest in the magazine and continued to read her geography book and take notes. "Uh huh..." Was all the girl said to keep her best friend entertained.

"I mean... That hat is just wayyyy to vintage and that belt! Just look at it!" The rich girl said as she shoved the magazine in between Nadine's face and her book.

Unable to avoid the subject now, the tan skinned girl looked over the image that was rudely placed in front of her and thought up her own opinion. "I dunno, Rhonda. It doesn't look that bad to me."

"That BAD?!" Rhonda scoffed, clearly appalled at the opinion and snatched the picture back. "I mean, sure if we lived in the 50's again! What is this design line thinking?"

"Maybe vintage is what they're going for?" Nadine suggested as she got back to her own work. "Now days it really seems like people are trying to bring back old trends. Floppy hats, thick framed glasses, plaid skirts, button up blouses... just to name a few."

Surprised that her friend had any knowledge of the current fashion world, Rhonda took what she said into consideration. It was true that a lot of old things were coming back. "I guess you're right... Next maybe we'll start seeing boys in fedoras! Hipsters are sooo weird."

Nadine nodded but continued to keep herself occupied in what was actually important. Rhonda maybe her best friend but even she knew when to stop entertaining her or she would never shut up.

Over in the next table, Helga listened in on the pompous girl's speech and quietly ate the grotesque burger that had been placed on her plate, along with the stale french fries and green jello. She couldn't help but chuckle at her frustration though. "Did you guys hear?" She beckoned to the other members at her table. "Little Miss Queen is going ape over some new shirt or something. Sheesh, I wish my life was so simple that, that's all I had to worry me."

"Actually Helga," Phoebe responded, looking to her friend from across the table. "Fashion culture can be rather important to some people. It's just as important as say... Music or films. It actually is known to define a whole culture or tribe, if you will."

Helga gave her tiny friend a disgusted look and bit into a stale fry. "Crimity Pheebs, it's like you're a history teacher or something. Next are you gonna tell us about the origin of hair spray or something?"

"I would be happy to, if you're interested." Phoebe smiled, knowing full well that the question was sarcastic.

"You know, Rhonda does kinda have a point." Gerald unexpectedly inquired, "Why do old schools things tend to come back? You think they died out for a reason, right?"

"Actually Gerald, it's quite common for history to repeat itself. If things were popular back then, there also had to be a reason so why not try and bring it back?" Phoebe inquired back, bringing a valid point. "This includes remakes of movies, TV shows, fashion, music and a lot of other pop culture."

"Phoebe's right. Nostalgia tends to sell..." Arnold smiled as he chimed into the heated conversation. "My grandparents have been listening to Dino Spumoni for a long as I can remember, and I was just as surprised as the next person when his records started to suddenly sell out."

Helga laughed as she finished her food and propped her feet up on an empty chair. "Monkeys, all of them. Can't have an original idea or taste? Copy someone else's!"

Phoebe hesitated at her comment but knew that, that was also a valid point. "A sale is a sale, to be fair."

"Yeah well society is screwed up enough. We don't need to copy other people's mistakes and present them as our new flashy idea!" Helga animated as she threw her hands up in the air to imitate sparkles.

Realizing that the conversation wasn't going to go anywhere productive, Arnold thought back to their project which had a similar topic. "So what have you two decided to do for the recycling the town project?" He asked, turning to Gerald who had also just finished his food.

Gerald wiped his face and smiled at Phoebe "She had the awesome idea of going to the old movie cinema on 42nd street and seeing its potential for something new."

"There is a lot of old architecture around that area, as well as a few land marks. I was thinking of the possibility of maybe making it into a museum... but I want to take a better look at the demographic first." Phoebe explained, happy that complimented her idea and announced it to the rest of them. "What about you two? I assume you also grouped up?"

Arnold frowned and shook his head before looking over at Helga who had nothing to say about the subject before continuing "We... have had some ideas but nothing that stuck or that we could agree on."

"You two? Not agreeing? That's hardly surprising!" Gerald couldn't help but laugh. "Next you're gonna tell me that the food tasted bad, right?"

"Come on Gerald," His best friend with a hint of annoyance. "Remember the last thing we did to improve our city? That didn't end so well, now did it?"

"Yeah but this project is only a reasonable idea, not actually doing it." The tall haired boy corrected a matter-of-factly "And I'm honestly surprised that you, Mr. Look on the bright-side all the time, is actually not looking forward to this."

Arnold looked over at Helga who had been fiddling with her tray and completely ignoring the conversation. He had had quite a few ideas, but she shot them all down... but he couldn't tell Gerald that. He also didn't want to make her unhappy either. "Don't worry, I'll think of something... Right Helga?"

Hearing her name made her jump a little into attention "Huh? Uhhh... Whatever, Football head."

"Just remember that we only have till the end of next week to turn the project in so don't take too long and fail..." Gerald reminded them, a little concerned as he could see Helga had little to no interest. Arnold had never once failed a project and he hoped the couples new found... relationship wouldn't be the beginning of an end.

Despite understanding Gerald's concern, Arnold smiled at him reassuringly and placed his hand on Helga's shoulder "Don't worry so much! We got this-" He said before his hand was swatted away.

"Who said you could touch me?!" She snapped at him, before getting up and picking up her empty lunch tray. "Come on, Phoebe."

The small Asian girl looked at the two boys in confusion, "Coming!" she said before following her harsh companion with her own lunch tray.

Gerald waited until the girls were completely out of sight before turning back to Arnold with the same concerned look, which only got greater as he saw his friend's expression. "You okay, man?"

Arnold shook his head and gave a sign in defeat. "Yeah..." He started, before deciding it would be best to actually come out with the truth. "I don't know, honestly. She is just really hard to read, Gerald."

Hearing such a common line come from his friend's mouth made him laugh a little, despite the situation. "Yeah well, she is a girl. They're always hard to read."

"Yeah but this is a little different. She's not like other girls, Gerald." Although the setting of the conversation probably wasn't the best, Arnold figured he needed to get the situation off his chest at some point so it might as well be now. At least most of the students had finished their food and began clearing out, causing little to overhear.

"You got that right." Gerald nodded. "She's Helga Pataki! The class bully! The meanest and cruelest girl I know so yeah, she definitely isn't like other girls."

His friend's description caused Arnold to get a little angry. "But you do know she is much more than that. You've seen it for yourself a few times." He said in her defense.

Gerald rolled his eyes "Yeah, yeah, I know. She stands up and helps out with things get out of hand and I totally am giving her credit for that but just because you do a few good things doesn't mean it erases all the bad things you've done. She will always be the same Helga Pataki in my book, Arnold. Whether you like-like her now or not." Gerald took the last bite of his burger, and washed it down with some soda before continuing. "And I have to honestly say you've got weird taste in girls, buddy."

Knowing there was no way to change his friends mind; Arnold just gave up and picked up his own plate. "I just..." He started, a little wistful in his voice. "I just want to help her."

Gerald laughed and picked up his things and began to walk towards the trash "And you can't always help people, Arnold. Its life! Some people are just... who they are, man! Set in their ways."

Arnold knew full well that in some cases, Gerald was right but in this case he wasn't. He knew Helga was much MUCH more than what she let others see. He knew she was much softer underneath that fierce exterior she showed everyone all the time but that wasn't something he could convince his best friend of. If she wasn't willing to show others, then they would never see and never change their mind. Ignorance is bliss, as they say and Gerald was proving that point.

"One day you'll see..." Arnold finally let out, as they fully cleaned up and grabbed their things. "You'll see what I see in her."

"Whatever you say, Arnold." Gerald replied, as they slowly made their way to the classroom before the bell rang. "Whatever you say..."

School started back up again and eventually ended, letting out all the anxious students to depart into their daily life on the outside. Arnold had attempted to hang out with Gerald after school but was unfortunately denied as him and Phoebe were going to research the area in which their project was based. This left Arnold with very little to do and he decided maybe it was best to go home. It had been a while since he had last done this by himself, but it wasn't such a bad thing. It gave him time to be alone in his thoughts and maybe, as he passed establishments old and new, it would give him a successful idea on what to base his and Helga's project on.

He passed the park, still plenty full of people and blooming with life. He passed a bakery, smelling the sweet smell of freshly baked good that made his stomach rumble. He passed the Ice cream shop that still had plenty of customers; old and young. More and more he passed business that seemed to be doing pretty fine. Beginning to feel absolutely hopeless, Arnold decided to go to the peer to think. It was always quiet there and it was a fine place to think about life. He found himself going there from time to time and always ended up getting something positive from the experience.

The peer was just as it normally was. Men taking cargo on and off boats, the smell of salt and fish lingered in the air as well as the occasional fisherman docking his boat with his catch of the day. Arnold stood at the edge and crossed his arms to rest up against the fence surrounding the dock. He watched the people and their daily lives and wondered to himself if they're lives were just as complicated behind closed doors as his was now becoming. He had always had a pretty peaceful and good life, which he would never deny but behind the curtains of his seemingly blissful life hung the fact he never had parents. His grandparents were great but he never got to experience having a regular family like his friends and this one daunting issue always loomed even in the brightest of times. However... That was finally solved! Finally that curtain was drawn back and his parents were let out and were back home waiting for him... and yet, here he was away from them willingly.

Directly after returning from San Lorenzo, Arnold had made it a point to spend almost every waking moment with them, to almost an overwhelming point. The stories they shared, the hugs they gave, the kisses on his forehead before he went to sleep were all things he had always dreamed about and now were a reality. He HAD parents now... so his life should be perfect and whole, right?

Arnold could feel a complex wave of emotions rock back and forth inside him.

"When did everything get so complicated..." He wondered aloud, staring into the water at his reflection.

The jungle had given him many things, not just his parents. It had given the young man insight to real danger and to real love and sacrifice. These were not things normal for almost twelve years old to experience. The jungle had shown him that things weren't always as they seemed and nothing was black and white. People he trusted could easily turn on him. People he loved could easily die without him even being able to say goodbye. It also showed him that no matter what the cost... someone would always be by his side. "Helga..." He whispered to himself, as he watched the air ripple the water blow him. He knew she had a tough life, probably even more tough then he could image but he would never know unless she told him. Sure, he knew what her parents were like. He knew how they treated more as an object than an actual daughter while her sister was put up on a shelf like a trophy. Anyone with eyes could see that... but just like with the curtain in his life, he knew there was probably one in hers as well.

Just as the boy began to ponder the matter, he was startled by the loud sound of what sounded like metal colliding with more metal. Arnold turned around to see what was going on and saw someone marching towards his direction, kicking anything in their way. As he narrowed his eyes and paid closer attention, he could hear said person yelling about something until he realized he recognized just who it was and it wasn't long before that person noticed him either.

"Helga?!" He yelled, confused and not sure if it was his mind playing games on him.

"Arnold?!" She shouted back, now gradually approaching him.

The meeting almost seemed poetic as she was just on his mind but after thinking about it for a second, they had coincidentally met up in this location way more than once.

"What are YOU doing here, Football head? Shouldn't you be at home listening to your parents telling you bed time stories or something?" She asked, clearly out of breath from her tantrum a moment earlier.

Arnold couldn't help but smile at her existence there with him, and wrapped his arms around her body "I can't believe you're here!" He spoke with shock.

Although she would normally shove him off of her, Helga noticed her surroundings and let it be. "Yeah well... It seems like we always have a way of running into each other, Arnoldo. What else is new?"

Arnold laughed and let her go, beaming with happiness as he gazed upon her face. "Maybe its fate?" he encouraged, feeling hopeful now that he was suddenly jolted out of his not so pleasant thoughts.

Helga raised her eyebrow at the suggestion and, although she had thought that many times in her life, decided not to admit it openly. "Or... maybe we both just happen to like smelling rotting fish carcass and loud angry sailors, which mind you, I feel right at home with."

Her suggestion only made him smile brighter before remembered that she was in fact very angry a moment ago. "So what brings you here? What were you yelling about?"

The sight of her beloved only made her forget her issues for a short while before being thrust back into the fit of rage she felt. "Oh Nothing. I just had to get away from home, is all."

Arnold furrowed his brow and watched as she took his place at the edge of the dock and rested her back to it and faced him. "Things worse than usual?" Was all he could inquire as he didn't know all that much to begin with.

Helga heaved a large sigh and remained silent for a while. You know you can open up to him... just DO it! She screamed from within but the reality was, it was much harder to do than to think. The young girl closed her eyes and began to listen to the waves. The whole reason she always wound up at the docks was the sound always seemed to calm her soul, even just for a little while. Doing her best to breathe in and out to calm down, she began to collect herself in order to begin the story she would tell him.

"To give you the reader's digest version... you know my dad's business has hit rock bottom. You know we no longer have a how to live in and are currently being housed inside our beeper warehouse, and you know, well, my dad. Right?"

"Right." Arnold nodded, patiently awaiting the rest.

"Well..." she started nervously, "At first, Bob remained hopeful and tried a bunch of crazy schemes to get beepers back on the map and booming like before. Then, when it didn't work, his business friend and the bank told him to give up and move on... which only caused him to become depressed for awhile, I guess..."

"Go on..." He encouraged, amazed she was opening up to him again all on her own.

"Now, he's just angry all the time. Forcing me and Miriam to build displays. Trying to push sales and make me stay home from school to help him out with it since OLGA can't because she's away in Alaska again. He just doesn't get it! He doesn't get that no one wants his piece of crap obsolete technology!" Helga could feel her rage start to build up and decided to pace around to contain it as best as possible. "We are on the edge of becoming homeless and, instead of getting a real job and trying to support his family like a normal father and husband, he insists on being delusional! Like we are just items on his shelf rather than his family! I'm getting sick of it, Arnold! That's why I am angry! That's why I was angry this morning and THAT'S why I had a migraine earlier."

Arnold stood in silence, unsure if he should speak or just continue to nod, afraid she would end up closing herself back up. He could see she was in a lot of pain, but until she calmed down and finished, all he could do was be patient.

"I'm just..." She yelled before going silent and halting by the water's edge again. "I'm just really tired of it all, Arnold." Helga's voice had gone from complete and utter rage to absolute exhaustion and sadness.

Placing his arm around her shoulder, he looked up into her eyes with empathy. "I'm sorry."

Helga shook her head and crossed her arms before looking away from him and down at her reflection. "Yeah, that's all Phoebe can say too. We're just kids. We don't have a say in what happens in our lives or what our parents do. All we can do is... live with it."

Nothing we can do... Arnold repeated her words in his mind, memorizing them. Nothing we can do... Nothing we can do..? It became like a broken record. Something was trying to form in his brain but wasn't coming to head.

"There's nothing we can do?" He asked out loud, causing his distressed friend to look at him in curiosity.

"Well, yeah. What can I do about Bob not wanting to give up? Have an intervention with him and explain all his actions are hurting everyone around him?" Helga laughed at the thought. "That would totally blow over well and someone would probably get a limb cut off!"

Nothing we can do..? He continued to ponder. It didn't seem right. There had to be something they could do, right?

Helga could see the cogs in Arnold's mind begin to turn as if he was about to come up with some wild plan to save the city again, or get chocolate boy to stop eating chocolate.

"Arnold... what are you thinking about?" She asked, now becoming further curious as he looked up into her eyes. Suddenly there was a gleam and a smile back on his face. "What?"

"Helga!" He shouted in happiness "There IS something we can do!"

His emotions had become contagious an Helga couldn't stop herself from smiling back even though she had no idea what he was going on about. "What?"

Arnold then reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded and slightly crumpled up piece of white paper with something written on it. He handed it over with delight and watched her face. "We can do this!"

Taking the paper, Helga became skeptical and began to open it up. Much to her dismay, all that stare back at her was their assignment from earlier. "So you want us to do this assignment to... get my mind off of how crap my life is? That's not very helpful."

Arnold snatched back the paper from her hands and held it up in front of her face. "No Helga, don't you see?"

"See WHAT?" She shouted, now becoming annoyed as he wasn't being remotely clear.

"Your family business isn't doing so well! We can make a plan to revive it!" He cried out happily, almost dancing in step.

The idea was a nice one but the reality of it wasn't quite as nice. "Arnold, don't you think my dad tried that? I've told you already, dimwit! Nothing works! And besides this assignment is just to recycle old junk into new junk that people might like or use. You can't recycle beepers into anything cool!"

Arnold shook his head. "That's where you're wrong Helga!" He started, folding the paper back up and placing it back into his pants pocket. "Remember the conversation Rhonda was having at lunch?"

Helga stared at him back, blankly "About... fashion..?"

"No! I mean, yes but no that's not what I mean. It was about old fashion suddenly becoming cool again. People like to take old, out of date, vintage stuff and use it as a fashion statement!" He finished, grabbing on to both of her hands.

Slowly, the cogs in Helga's head began to turn and she began to realize the point he was trying to make... even though it was far-fetched. "You're trying to say that you want our assignment to be how to make HIPSTERS want BEEPERS?!"

"Yes, Helga!" He smiled, squeezing on to her hands unable to contain his excitement. "We can pitch them as a fashion statement or find uses for them that would appeal to this type of fad! Maybe we can get your business afloat again, even if for a little while so you can get rid of your inventory and make your dad use that money to steer the business into another direction!"


	3. Chapter 3

Helga sat in Arnold's room, clicking on the push end of a pen repeatedly with frustration. She had been recalling all the moments prior to this, struggling to accept where she was now and why. Arnold had one of his "Brilliant save everyone" schemes in the works and, although if it were to pan out like he wanted it would be in her favor, and although she was able to not only be close with him at this moment but also alone, it didn't stop the frustration from rearing its ugly head and for good reason.

"It's not going to work, Arnold" Helga sighed as she narrowed her eyes at him. "There is no possible way you could get a bunch of yuppies to buy my dad's crappy beepers."

Arnold understood her disbelief but it didn't matter. "We have to at least try, Helga!" He tried his best to convince her. "Sometimes you have to just try and look at the bright side, right?"

"Bright side?" She scoffed, as she let go of his hands and placed them on her hips in defiance. "Where is the bright side in us planning all this stuff, probably getting a bunch of people involved, and everyone...?" Helga prettied up her face and made quotation marks with her fingers "Try their best" then went back to her original scowl, "Just to end up failing?! Just face it, Football head. My dad's business is done, finished, kaput, dead and buried ten feet under."

Arnold shook his head and continued on his adamant smile despite it all. Someone always had to look on the bright side and it might as well be him. "It can't be completely hopeless! Let's go to my house and plan. We could even call up a few people who could help out with a few things. Gerald is a great salesman and could probably push the product like he did with his Wacko Watches, Rhonda obviously knows what audience to attract, and Phoebe is great at managing things... We could totally do this!"

Despite the young girls complete and absolute disbelieve in the idea, she felt she had no choice but to agree. "Fine, whatever Arnoldo, but if and when we fail, I'll be the first to say I told you so."

Arnold nodded and they both went on their way to his house.

"I'm home everyone!" Arnold called out as he opened the old door to the boarding house, causing a few heads to peep from around the corner to greet him.

"Welcome home Shortman!" His grandpa called back as the elderly man slowly approached him. Once clasping his grandson in a big warm hug, he noticed Helga standing awkwardly behind him. "Ohhhh and I see you brought a little friend with you, how nice?" he chuckled before stepping aside to let her in. "Got a little project or something to do today?"

Helga scoffed and crossed her arms "Sure, if you call Arnold butting into my family's private business a project then you could totally say that." She snidely replied.

Arnold shook his head and looked up at his grandfather who had clearly paid no mind to her attitude. "We are gonna do some research in my room on how to revive failing businesses for class. The mayor sent a request into the school to have students plan ideas to uplift the city a little and we decided to pick Big Bob's Beepers."

"We?!" Helga stomped, "You mean YOU decided that's what we would do. Don't put us failing on me, Mr. Know-it-all"

Phil groaned and scratched his head "And you picked Big Bob's Beepers, huh? Well you got your work cut out for you, Arnold. I agree with your little angry friend here but if anyone can make something out of that blowhard jerk's business, it's you" He then turned to Helga "No offence."

"None taken." She nodded "Now let's just get this over with, I'm practically as old as him" She said pointing to Phil who just laughed. "No offence."

"None Taken!" The old man laughed as he waved his arms in surrender before nudging his grandson in the shoulder "I see you like em feisty, eh Short man?" He said, causing his grandson to blush and him to only laugh harder before disappearing into the living room.

Helga eyed Arnold suspiciously, causing him to feel shy and awkward. Unable to give her any sort of response, he headed up the stairs and she followed. "My parents are probably in their bedroom, I better say Hi to them before we start since we don't know how long this will take us. You can head up to my room, if you'd like."

Helga snorted "Whatever but you better not take too long or I'm outta here, you got that?"

Arnold smiled and nodded, knowing full well that she wouldn't actually leave. "Whatever you say, Helga" He said as they reached his parents' bedroom. He looked at the old door and hesitated. For some reason, approaching his parents like this almost felt like he was collecting rent from the boarders. Was it really okay to disturb them? What if they needed private time and he was interrupting? Arnold could feel the awkwardness grow inside him and he shuttered. Remembering Helga was still behind him, he coughed and turned to her "You can go on up, this will only take a minute."

Helga signed and pulled on the chain to his stairway "Fine." She could see he was having a bit of trouble. Wanting to desperately comfort him in some way, knowing full well the feeling he was experiencing, she ignored her feelings and headed on up to his room.

Once Helga had finally disappeared into his bedroom, Arnold turned once again to the door in front. I can do this! He thought as he reached his hand up to knock, everything will be fine... Arnold inhaled sharply, but as he was about to knock, the door in front of him flew opened to reveal the surprised face of his father. "Uhhh... Hey, Dad!" was all that managed to come out.

Miles smiled at his young son before him "Hey, Arnold! Is everything okay? I was just about to go downstairs and get something to eat. Did you need something?" He watched as Arnold awkwardly scratched the back of his arm and looked towards his rooms set of stairs.

"I, uhhh, just wanted to let you guys know I was home. I decided to take a walk after school to think about what I was gonna do for this big project and figured maybe I made you guys worry... I hope you didn't worry, did you?" The youth turned to his father and shyly looked up.

Miles heart grew warm as he saw his sons care. "We were a little concerned but we knew you probably had a reason for coming home late, right hunny?" He replied, looking behind him.

Just as he queued, Stella got up from chair she had been sitting on, closed her book and headed towards them both. "Is that Arnold?"

Nodding, Miles opened the door between them to let her get a better view of their son "Yeah. He took a walk after school but he's home now." He turned back to Arnold "Is this for the same project you told us about before? The public relations one or something?"

Arnold flinched, remembering the lie he had told them but shook his head in recovery. "No, this is a separate one. We were tasked into thinking up ways to revitalize a part of town or business in order to help the city."

"We?" Stella asked as she reached the door and crossed her arms with a smile. "Who's your partner? Can we meet them?"

Feeling another blush mount his cheeks, Arnold looked away and up at his stairs again. Was talking to parents supposed to be this hard? He remembered that they had seen him and Helga together shortly after their many years slumber. He also knew lying so save his own embarrassment wasn't going to work as she was in his room so, with much courage he faced them. "You already have. It's Helga... You remember her, right?"

Both parents noticed his embarrassment and looked at each other before chuckling. "Sure son, we remember her. She's the one who helped us wake up with her locket, right?" Miles asked while he engraved his son's expression in his mind. It seemed so sudden that one moment this boy was in diapers and the next he was blushing over a girl. "Man, time sure does fly..." He murmured out loud.

"Oh my," Stella looked concernedly at her husband. "It has been quite some time since we've seen her. Maybe we should say hi and thank her again for her help..."

"No!" Arnold suddenly shouted as he put his hands up in a stopping motion, causing his parents to step back a bit in shock. Realizing how aggressive he must have seemed, Arnold took a deep breath and smiled "I mean, No you don't have to do that... We really gotta start on this project and it's really big, you know? If anything, I've kept her waiting in my room long enough... I probably should go check on her and make sure she's comfortable." Arnold said, nervously pointing his thumb up at his room while slowly walking back.

"Uh huh..." Miles started, raising an eyebrow. "And you two are gonna work on your project alone in your room?"

"Yeah! We'll be up there for a while. It's pretty important..." Arnold said as he reached the foot of his stairway.

"I don't know if that's a-" Miles started before getting cut off by an elbow jab in the side by his wife.

"You two have fun!" She smiled up at Arnold, giving him a nod to go up. "Work hard and tell her we said Hi, okay?" She called up to him as he disappeared into the darkness of the attic.

Miles looked down sternly at his wife. "Do you really think it's a good idea for those two to be alone up there?"

Stella giggled and grabbed her husband's hand. "They'll be fine, hunny."

He made a slight grown of displeasure and squeezed her hand. "Yeah but-"

"They'll be fine, Miles." She repeated before tugging on him to follow her. "Arnold seems like a very responsible, level headed boy. I trust our son to make the right decisions, don't you?" She asked softly. Miles responded in yet another groan before accepting that his worries were unfounded.

"Sorry I took so long," Arnold said the moment he walked opened his bedroom door. "I really wanted to make sure that they weren't worried about me since I told them I'd come home straight after school and I-" He immediately stopped talking the moment he looked around and noticed Helga laying on his bed, her head shoved in his pillow. "What are you doing?"

After Arnold had sent Helga up to his room, alone, she found it her right to twirl and prance around, and look at all his things (some she had seen before, some she hadn't) before promptly flopping down on his bed and wallowing in the scent of her beloved. Of course she had no intention of letting him know she did all that, however she had been caught red handed doing that final thing. Sitting up almost on queue of his question, Helga cleared her throat before responding. "N-nothing! Nothing at all! In fact, I was doing so much of nothing that I collapsed from boredom and fell right on your bed." she stuttered.

Arnold crossed his arms and smirked with amusement. "Uh huh."

Feeling her embarrassment heighten, Helga jumped off the bed and headed straight to his computer where she had set down her things. "W-Well what are you standing around for, Bucko?! We have work to do! You already wasted a decade talking to your parents down there that I nearly died so hurry up and let's get started! Geez!" She yelled as she organized the desk; papers stacked, pens collected, and computer turned on.

Arnold slowly walked over to the work station and sat down in his computer chair, before looking up at her. "You ready?"

Helga, still red with embarrassment, crossed her arms before slouching on his small pullout sofa. "Been ready for years, Football head! Take it away!"

"UGH!" Helga groaned, after the last click of her pen top. "We've been at it for hours! I'm tired of this stupid plan." She looked over at the clock. 6:14pm. "and I'm starving..."

At this point in time, Arnold had already called Gerald, Phoebe and Rhonda to schedule a meeting for after school tomorrow, wrote down a list of people to see and talk to, as well as possible spread sheet of how to manage their time effectively. He turned his computer chair towards Helga and sighed in annoyance.

"You know, maybe if you would have helped a little this would have gotten done sooner..." He grumbled at her, only causing her to straighten up and scowl back.

"Yeah well, maybe if you'd have quit while you're ahead I'd had already eaten dinner and been watching tonight wrestle mania, but I'm not!" Helga stood up and pointed her fingers in his face. "Instead I'm stuck in this stupid room with this stupid, nosy football head."

Arnold could feel anger rising in his chest but did his best to fight the urge to fight back. He knew very well fighting with her would only waste time and make their situation worse. After thinking about it for a second, it made Arnold wonder. Why is she still acting like she hates me? He could see that it was always a front now; a guise to distract everyone from who she really was but... why bother putting on an act when they were alone?

Arnold sighed and figured now would be as good as any time to have a heart to heart. He pulled his tired body out of the chair and walked over to his bed. Helga followed him with her eyes but remained in her position, although curious. "Helga..." He started before sitting down. "What's wrong?"

Raising her eyebrow, she decided to continue on with her act. "What do you mean? Nothing's wrong. I'm just peachy."

Arnold crossed his arms and gave her a stern look, causing her to fidget with her pen again. "Look, I understand that talking about your personal life is hard for you but it's just me." Arnold began, feeling a little awkward and twiddling his thumbs. "I thought maybe if we worked on this project together, it could really help you out so why fight with me about it?"

Helga closed her eyes and tightened her grip on her pen, before slamming it down on his computer desk. She knew he was right but the act was hard to shut off. It was who she was, or rather, who she had forced herself to be for so long that it was just another entity of her. Helga willed her body to walk to him calmly but couldn't let herself sit down like she knew he wanted.

"Because..." Helga waned, unable to look at him. "Because I don't want to believe it's possible... that's why."

Arnold reached his hand out for her, but got ignored. "But why? Don't you want to fix your family business?"

"Of course I do, Arnold!" She yelled, looking out his football shaped window. "It's just; I don't want to get my hopes shattered when it doesn't work out!" Her heart began to pound and she could feel herself becoming unstable; unable to control her emotions. "Not everything works out all happy, sunshine and rainbows!"

"I know that but-" He started but was quickly cut off.

"No! You don't!" Helga shouted, finally looking at him. Her face had become flushed and he could see she was on the verge of sort of emotional rage, similar to what she looked like the other morning. "Thing's always just work out for you, don't they?! You try and try and try, and even when it looks like things are hopeless, they suddenly just go your way, right? You found your parents, you got that stupid document stating your house was a landmark, you brought your boarder together with his daughter for Christmas-" She listed.

Arnold's eyes widened. "Helga, how did you know about that?"

She stopped herself and forgot her place. "Huh? Know what?"

"About Mr. Hyunh's daughter Mai coming to see him on Christmas, how did you know that happened?" Arnold looked at her, puzzled. As far as he knew, only Gerald knew about the secret Santa and his present to the Vietnamese man.

Realizing she had said too much, Helga fought her mind for excuses. "I... uh...-" but nothing came of use.

Neither of them spoke for what seemed like eternity and all that was heard was Gerty howling and laughing while other loud bangs followed below them. Helga's rage had subsided into what had become this jumble of mixed feelings. Should she tell him the truth? Should she make something up like, she happened to be passing by in the middle of night, by his house which was way out of her way, and saw? No... She knew he wouldn't buy it.

Meanwhile, Arnold just sat in a state of dumbfoundment. Going over the events in his head, over and over, he couldn't quite figure out where within that day she might have known about it. Or even if he had shared it in class the day after. "How did you know?" He repeated, mostly to himself but out loud nonetheless.

"Because... I just did?" Helga suggested, shrugging innocently.

Arnold shook his head, convinced there was no possible way for her to know something so personal... something that had went on within his own household. "No. That's not possible, Helga." He looked at her with desperate eyes. "Please tell me how you knew about that."

Helga reached within herself and knew that there was no way of escaping his question. "Guess the jig is up." She started, finally giving up and plopping down on the bed beside him. Kicking her feet back and forth like a carefree child, she glanced over at Arnold, preparing her next words. "I gave that guy my Nancy Spumoni snow boots so he would find her for you..." Again, another silenced washed over them as Arnold digested her information. "I had seen you and Gerald darting around all over town that day, and decided to find out why, overheard that he wouldn't do it without those stupid yet really boss boots, and gave him mine since Miriam miraculously got them for me for Christmas and the sizes happened to be right." She explained before he was able to even ask. "Like I said, things just happen in your favor, football head. Not mine."

Without a single thought, Arnold's body moved on its own and wrapped his arms around her into a giant hug. Helga's body began to tingle from her head to toe as she could feel his warmth suddenly colliding with her own. Sighing in happiness, she shakily placed a lone hand on his back in a half attempt in a normal act of affection. "Thank you!" He gasped. "I had no idea!"

Yeah if you only knew half the stuff I've done, you dolt... She snickered to herself in silence. Within all of the years that she had known him, he had thrown himself into solving others problems without asking anything in return. It was one of the many traits she loved about him. If ever there was a chance for her to swoop in and help her beloved save the day, Helga always took it, even if it meant rummaging through garbage or sacrificing herself. Her only prized treasure was knowing Arnold was happy. "Yeah, yeah... It wasn't a big deal really."

Letting her go, Arnold looked her in the eyes with the most heartwarming smile the girl could only ever dream of receiving. "See, this is what I mean..." His eyes began to search hers for some unknown answer, "You're heart is more pure than you know, Helga. You have gone out of your way to help me so many times, even times I didn't know about! You don't even ask for credit... If only you'd be open like this instead of putting on your tough act." His words were soft and penetrating, like butter melting on a hot dinner roll; slowly seeping into her with all its gentle warmth. She could feel herself becoming weak to his sultry voice as it spoke words she had prayed to hear one day.

"Arnold..." she let his name escape her mouth but it didn't stop him from continuing.

"Helga, why must you hide who you really are from everyone?" He asked as he adjusted himself on the bed to face her clearly.

She could feel his gaze reaching deep within her soul; those beautiful, yet curious green orbs chiseling away at her inner structure and shaking every fiber of her being. Unable to do anything to stop herself, she decided to let him in. "Because if they found out that I'm actually soft and squishy on the inside, they would ridicule me and I get enough of that from my own home that I don't need it everywhere else."

Hearing her honest answer surprised him. "Why do you think they'd ridicule you?" He asked.

"They already have once before..." Helga broke away from his hypnotic gaze. "Back a really really really long time ago when we were in preschool."

"So basically around the time we first met?" He confirmed.

Helga nodded. "Yeah. You were really nice to me, Arnold. Nicer than anyone had ever been to me in my entire existence practically..." She explained, now beginning to feel totally exposed but unable to stop. This was the second time, and hopefully the last time, she would ever have to explain the story of her past. "You held your little umbrella for me in the rain and even complimented me. I had never gotten a compliment before so I got really happy... until everyone started making fun of me for it. Then I decided to unearth my inner Bob and pound them until they stopped, thus being who I am now." Helga finished, taking a deep breath and feeling vulnerable.

"Wow..." Arnold sat amazed at her story. "I had no idea. I mean, that was a really long time ago I honestly don't remember any of that anymore."

"Psh, Well we were like 4, Arnoldo. I don't expect you to remember." Helga snorted in spite of herself for remembering.

"But you remembered, Helga. That's pretty amazing!" Arnold gave a small chuckle, "In fact, there are a lot of things about you that are amazing that I bet you don't give yourself credit for..."

Helga could hardly believe what she was hearing. Is he really saying these things or am I dreaming? If I am dreaming, I better not wake up anytime soon... She thought as she drank his words in.

"L-like what? I mean, Of course I'm amazing but what in particular did you have in mind...?" she urged, feeling herself blush but not minding.

"Like how strong you are, to start! You have a pretty terrible dad who can't even call you by your own name half the time and a mom who barely pays attention, yet you still get some of the best grades in our class! You're pretty exceptional at sports and can even beat Harold to a touchdown. Your writing is probably good enough to be published..." As Arnold continued to list her talents, Helga began to melt in front of him again, feeling all her love and passion for him well up inside her, threatening to explode. "And despite your intentional rough exterior, you have one of the kindest, most outgoing hearts I've ever-" But before he could finish his sentence, Helga grabbed him by his collar and pressed her lips against his in a manner he had now become familiar with.

At first, the initial action had shocked him into becoming stunned, but after a few second had passed, his body slowly un-petrified itself and warmed up to her extreme show of affections.

Surprised that she wasn't immediately pushed away, Helga let the kiss last a little longer before breaking away. Unsure if she should apologize or pretend like it didn't happen, the young girl let her stunned companion be the first one to break the ice.

"Your passion..." Arnold said, finally getting rid of the silence between them.

"H-huh?" Helga stuttered back as she was taken off guard by his response.

Arnold smiled and brought his hand to where her lips had once been; her warmth still lingering. "You're the most passionate person I've ever met, Helga. Even though you say that good things don't happen to you, there are a lot of good things that you make happen... and that's amazing."

Helga genuinely smiled at his words. It wasn't something she did often, especially not in front of people, but considering all that was going on, it deemed acceptable.

"Well not just anyone gets my help, Bucko..." She replied quietly, giving him a playful punch in the arm. "Just you..."

"Because you love me..." Arnold said out loud, feeling his heart beat loudly in his chest at the thought. This was the second time in his life that he had really and truly taken her actions into account.

Helga looked up at him shyly, not knowing how to respond. Of course he was right, but the whole conversation was giving her feelings she had never experienced before. She felt... girly and weird. Embarrassed and shy. She wanted to both hold him in her arms forever but also run far far away all at the same time.

"I'm sorry I never noticed it before, Helga." He said as he gave small frown, placing his hand on top of one of her own.

"Hah. It's not like I made it easy." Helga laughed, looking down at his hand, trembling on the inside. "I purposely hid it, stupid. I didn't want you to know all the things I did. I'd rather watch you succeed from behind a trash can or something and enjoy your happiness from far away. It was just... easier that way"

Arnold felt a hint of concern, as he listened to her sad words. Even if he understood why she did what she did, it didn't make it any more okay to him. He wanted to just say sorry over and over again, but he also knew it wouldn't change anything.

"You don't have to anymore though, right?" He shrugged; trying to comfort her in any way possible but Helga just shook her head.

"I... I don't know, Arnold..." She started, sounding helpless. "I...-" but before she could continue, they both heard a knock at the door.

Arnold quickly looked at the door and back at her, before standing up and rushing over to it. Slowly he creeped it open, seeing both his parents smiling faces along with a tray of cookies and 2 tall glasses of milk.

"Hey guys! How goes the work? We brought something for you to nibble on before dinner!" Miles enthusiastically boasted while patiently awaiting Arnold to let them in.

Still thinking that the atmosphere inside his room was too sensitive to let them in, he went against his better judgment to appease them, and opened the door wide. "Thanks, Dad!" Arnold forced out, looking over at Helga on his bed who seemed not too upset by the interruption.

"It would have been done by now but you know your grandma... trying to hunt some boars for the big feast..." Miles continued, setting down the tray of cookies on his pull out sofa.

Stella walked into the room, following her husband and placed the two glasses of milk on the desk before turning to them both. "Looks like you two got a lot done! Need any help?"

Wanting nothing more than for them both to leave, Arnold's nerves began to go into overdrive. "No, Mom! I think we are pretty good for right now..." He looked turned to Helga, "Right?" Come on Helga, if I needed you to be you at any point in time, now would be that time... He pleaded in his head, looking desperately at the girl for an answer he could agree with. They had accomplished a lot tonight and he wasn't thinking the project. They were in the middle of a turning point for their relationship and Arnold had hoped to continue their very important conversation.

However, much to his dismay, Helga got up, brushed herself off and collected her backpack. "Thanks for the food!" She said after snatching one of the cookies and taking a bite. "I gotta be going though... It's pretty late and I don't want to make my parents worry."

Arnold could feel his heart drop. He wanted nothing more than to stop her from leaving but he knew that their moment had passed and she had to made her escape. "Helga, a-are you sure?" He asked, reaching out for her.

Collecting herself, Helga slung her backpack over her shoulder and signaled a goodbye to his parents. "Yeah. God knows I'm going to have to hear Bob yell about me not coming home soon enough to set up some dumb display." She explained, heading to the door and casually making her way out "See you tomorrow!"

Miles and Stella could feel something was up and looked at each other for an answer neither could give. They watched as their son heaved a heavy sigh and closed the door behind her before slumping back down on his bed and cupping his head with his hands.

Concerned, Stella took it upon herself to walk over and place a hand on the poor boys shoulder. "You wanna talk about it, Arnold?" She coaxed, slowly giving him a soft rub.

Miles took a cookie from the plate and joined them, offering it to Arnold but just got turned away. "You okay, champ? Have a fight or something?"

So much did Arnold want to explain everything to them, but there was just so much and too little time. With many feelings battling it out inside the blonde boy, words just wouldn't be enough.

Feeling as though they were being shut out, Miles collected all the courage he could muster. "Arnold..." He started, sitting down next to the boy. "I know that you haven't really known us very long. I know there are probably a lot of things, important things, that we've missed out on... but I want you to know that we're here now and would really like you to share those things with us."

Stella nodded. "He's right. You told us a lot of fun things and exciting stories when we arrived here and settled down, but I'm sure there is a lot more you could tell us..."

Arnold could hear the love in their voice and knew that this probably wasn't easy for them either. Just as much as he had lived his life without parents there to help him through it, they had also lived their lives without their one and only son.

"I'm sorry..." He said, swallowing his feelings and accepting the cookie from his dad. "I have a lot I need to tell you but..."

"But maybe now isn't the right time, right?" Stella suggested, smiling and nodding. "We understand hunny, just know that whenever you are ready to talk about it, we will be right here."

Miles agreed and patted his son on the back, "That's right, and we'll always be here from now on. So no more missing out on your life. We could even document it as we go! What do you say, Arnold?" He playfully suggested.

The suggestion brought a small smile onto the boys face as he imagined his dad following him around all day with a cam-quarter. "That's okay... I think just being here is enough."

Knowing it would probably be best to leave him alone to think; the couple gave each other a queue and stood up. "Dinner will be done soon... hopefully" Miles called out before exciting the room. Stella lingered a few more seconds, making eye contact with Arnold before giving a smile. "I hope you feel better, hunny." She whispered to him before shutting the door and continuing down the stairs.

The night had been both a beginning and an end for the two pre-teens. With the conversation still hot on their mind, they each replayed the scenes over and over to themselves, thinking up ways to confront the other the next day.


	4. Chapter 4

"I just don't understand it..." Miles said as he sat down in the living room with his wife and parents. Dinner had recently concluded and Arnold had just retired to his room for the evening, leaving the adults to entertain themselves without him.

"Well, what's there to understand, son?" Phil asked, as he got comfortable in his lounge chair. "He's a growing boy! You weren't always open and honest with your mother and I at times, right Pookie?"

Gerty smiled and rested her hand on her son's shoulder, who sat next to her on the worn sofa. "He's right you know, Miles. Let Arnold decide for himself when he will come to you."

Letting out another frustrated sigh, the adult male slouched back like a stubborn child and crossed his arms, causing his wife to smile at her childish looking partner. "He will come to us when he's ready, dear. Just be patient. You're acting more his age then even he is right now." she laughed softly, hoping he would come to terms with the situation.

Miles peered over at Stella, eyes full of hurt and confusion. "How can you not be worried?"

Stella shook her head and rested her hand on his knee. She looked into her husband's eyes with concern, understanding full well the deep rooted frustration he was feeling. "I am just as worried as you are, but getting all upset like this won't solve anything. He's just a boy, Miles. You can't just expect Arnold to confide all his intimate struggles with us just yet."

"I agree..." Phil chimed in with a wary tone, causing all attention in the room to focus on him. "Arnold isn't a complicated lad. He is normally pretty open and honest with us when he feels it's needed so I wouldn't worry too much about it." The old man took a swig of his iced tea before continuing. "And not for nothing, and I mean this with all the love in the world, but you just came back into his life. It's going to take time for young Arnold to come around and adapt. He's growing up pretty quick with all those hormones n' stuff kicking in right about now..." He finished as he gave a warm smile to his son that was now giving him a nervous look. "You know what I'm talking about..."

"Dad!" Miles groaned, shutting his eyes and dreading the thought, causing Gerty to laugh alongside her husband.

"Ahh... the good old days..." She smiled lovingly towards Phil, reminiscing of long days past. "You were quite a handful yourself, young man."

"Yeah. Always getting into trouble with the neighborhood kids. Picking on little girls and stealing their dolls..." Phil mused to his wife.

"Putting tacks on their seats, kicking their marbles all over the floor... Rolling them in honey and sticking them on top of ant hills..." Gerty continued fondly, clutching her hands over her heart.

"No, Pookie that was you." Phil interrupted.

Gerty put her hand thoughtfully on her chin and cocked an eyebrow. "Oh, was it?"

Stella couldn't help but laugh at their ramblings of the past and tried to imagine her husband a child picking on kids. "Did you really do all that, Miles?"

"Of course not!" He stood up and cried, waving his hands in the air. "I was a wonderful child, thank you very much!"

"Uh huh... You're definitely you're mother's son..." Phil mumbled to himself before taking a bite of an oatmeal raisin cookie and washing it down with another swig of iced tea. "The point is, let Arnold have his privacy and he'll eventually come to you. He's a good boy."

After a few more discussions, the couple had decided it was time for their own retirement and bid their parents a good night. Gradually they made their way to their room, worries still hot in their mind. It was natural for them to feel this way. After years of separation from their beloved son, they were finally back home where they belonged but didn't anticipate that adjusting would be this hard. Sure, it was a nice thinking that everything to just work out and they could pick up where they left off... however, it wasn't realistic. Arnold was on the verge of becoming twelve years old... and they left when he was just starting to walk on his own. The gap was far too large to be sealed with only a mere 3 months of reconnecting to fill. They understood his feelings yet it was too painful for them to accept.

Stella laid down on bed and Miles followed. Gazing over at her loving husband, a tender smile graced her lips as she placed her hand on his head and began to pat his hair down gently. He looked up at her and gingerly smiled back. Through sickness and in health, through good times and bad, through triumphs and failures, and now even venturing into unknown territories such as parenting a pre-teen boy whose life they had missed out on entirely.

"We'll get through this, dear" She said, running her fingers through his thick blonde hair. "We've gotten through worse."

Miles couldn't help but give a small laugh. "Running away from river pirates was pretty bad but so are pre-pubescent hormones." He shuttered, causing her to laugh a little herself.

"I was a child once before too, you know. I understand that growing up isn't easy and that my parents had a lot on their plate also, but I also know that Arnold went through a lot to find us. He wouldn't have done all of that if he didn't want us in his life, right?" Stella reassured, determined to bring her husband around to a lighter point of view. "He risked his and his friend's lives to be with us, Miles..."

"I know..." He whispered back before picking himself up and positioning himself better to properly look at his beautiful wife. He looked into her strong brown eyes and could feel their connection. This was the woman that he planned to be with forever and this was one of the reasons why. Stella was always the more level headed of the two, while he would always be the one jumping to conclusions and stumbling into bad situations. Bringing up a hand, he lovingly stroked the side of her cheek. "What would I do without you?" He asked tenderly.

Stella let out a loud laugh. "Probably be dead in a ditch, honestly." She grinned.

Letting out a sigh of defeat, Miles leaned in and kissed her. "You're 100% correct, as always..." He groaned. After a moment of self reflection, Miles decided that she was right. Worrying so much about Arnold not confiding in them wouldn't do either of them any good; however there was another thing that was pressing in his mind and Stella could see it clear as day.

"So what's the other thing bothering you?" She asked as she read his face.

Miles let out another sigh and let his body collapse back on down, causing the bed to give a little shake before returning stationary. "What's your opinion on his little girlfriend?" He asked curiously.

"Well..." Stella started, thinking to herself a moment "She must really love him if she risked her life alongside him to free us from that long sleep."

Miles nodded. "Yeah. That's a pretty strong love for such a young girl to do all that for him."

Both of them began to reflect on things Arnold had told them about her. All the good and the bad.

"Even more so of a reason that we shouldn't be so worried, Miles. It seems she has done a pretty good job in helping him grow up as well. Her intentions must be good, so whatever happened between them tonight probably isn't going to be all that serious." Stella coaxed. "I'm sure they will talk tomorrow and everything will be fine."

Suddenly, Miles burst into an all out laugher, causing Stella to jump. "What?! What is it?" She demanded, however her voice was only drowned out by the continuous laughter. "Miles!" She insisted, as she gave him a sharp jab in the stomach, causing his laughter to halt and turn into painful coughing.

"Ah... hah, Not so rough, Stella!" He winced out. "It's just..."

"Yes?" She insisted.

"It's just, looking back on all the things Arnold has told us about her... They actually sound a lot like my parents when they were young! Like, pretty spot on!" He explained through the pain.

Stella gave him a curious look. "How?"

With the pain subsiding, Miles then went through the long explanation of his parents past, not leaving out any of the key details that his dad had given him many many years before. While he explained, Stella's eyes widened in astonishment and soon they were both laughing.

There she stood at the edge of a cliff overlooking a calm sea below. The waved crashed gently over the rocks below and he could hear seagulls crying in the distance. Her hair pulled back by one pink ribbon that was blowing with the sea breeze. Arnold could feel his heart start to thump in his chest as he gazed upon her. "Helga..." He breathed as he willed his body to walk forwards. She had on a white sundress with lace surrounding its outlines, and what looked like pearls around her neck. Had she always looked this beautiful? Why was she there? Arnold looked around and could see they were alone. Nothing and no one around for miles accept the ocean, sand and trees. As he got closer, he could see her expression. Her eyes looked out at the sea in a longing type of way, but on her lips wore a solemn frown. "Helga, what's wrong?" He proceeded to ask, but words wouldn't leave his lips. No matter how hard he tried to talk to her, his words could not reach her.

The boy then noticed something inside her hand. It was a small gold shaped locket, one he had seen a few times before now. Helga brought the locket up to her eyes and smiled. Softly, she began to speak words but Arnold couldn't hear them. All that could be heard was the crashing of waves below. "What's going on?!" He demanded.

Arnold's heart began to throb intensely. With all his might, he tried to yell to her but still nothing happened. He then reached out to touch her and much to his surprise, his hand went right through her body. "Am I a ghost or something?" He wondered.

Suddenly, the sky went black and the scenery changed around them into a dark void. Startled, Arnold looked around frantically. Helga remained standing in the same position with the same expression. "What the...?" but before he could finish the thought, the large head of Big Bob Pataki emerged from the pitch black.

"Olga! What are you doing standing around?! Sell my beepers, young lady!" He demanded and seconds later, more heads of Bob emerged from the darkness and began shouting at her.

"We're gonna be rich!"

"We're gonna be on top again, just you wait and see!"

"Pataki's never fail!"

"Go out there and make me some money!"

"I don't care if you have to sleep outside in the cold, little missy! You're gonna sell our beepers until we make it big!"

Arnold turned back around and looked at Helga. Her appearance had changed from her brilliant outfit to rags and a hand full of beepers.

"Yes, Bob." He heard her utter, however the Bobs never stopped demanding.

One after another they continued to demand unfair, unrealistic expectations of the poor girl. After each demand, the heads would grow larger and Helga would grow smaller.

Arnold desperately reached out to grab her away from it all, but further and further away her body became. "Nooo!" Arnold shouted as he began to run after her ever fleeting body.

Arnold awoke that morning in a cold sweat on the floor of his room, tangled up in his blanket. After blinking a few times and catching his breath, the young boy forced his body to stand on his two feet and he looked around in a daze; heart still pounding.

"What was that...?" He asked himself out loud. He was known for having pretty far out there dreams but never ones that affected him like this. He could feel the cold sweat drip down the back of his neck and quickly he wiped it off with his hand.

Next he looked over at the clock. It was only moments before his alarm would regularly go off to indicate he wake up for school. Arnold slowly walked over to it and disabled the alarm to keep it from needlessly sounding. Deciding that it would be best to forget the dream for now, he forced himself to get ready for school.

Breakfast went on as it usually did, however it felt surreal to him; as if it all was happening in the background as opposed to really happening. He ate his food, had casual conversation with his family, and dodged flying objects from loud and obnoxious borders causing a scene.

After saying his goodbyes to them all, he met Gerald outside his house per usual, collected Helga and Phoebe at the usual intersection and made it to school. Not once did the dream cease from nagging him from the back of his head.

"Arnold, you okay buddy?" Gerald asked, stopping him just outside the schools large front doors, letting the girls walk inside ahead of them. "You've been quiet all morning. Something bugging you?"

Knowing it was impossible to explain a dream like that to his best friend, Arnold shrugged his actions off. "I'm fine, Gerald. I guess I just didn't sleep all that well last night." He only half lied.

Gerald looked at him for a moment curiously. "Did something happen between you and Helga yesterday?"

Arnold shook his head. "No, nothing worth mentioning..." He said un-interestingly as he opened the doors for the both of them and entered.

"Uh huh..." Gerald replied, clearly unconvinced.

The walk to the class was quiet as Gerald gave up trying to get anything of substance out of the boy and soon they entered their room and sat at their assigned seats. Mr. Simmons came in shortly after and began teaching his usual routine.

The lectures were all a blur, like white noise in the background as Arnold stared off into space, with his head propped up on his hand. Images of the dream still ever present in his mind, the guilt he felt about rejecting his parents comfort as well as partially keeping his feelings secret from Gerald too... It was all a lot to take in at the moment. Still, he managed to take notes and follow along as well as he could during the teaching period. Soon the bell rang and the class burst through the classroom doors in anticipation for lunch. Arnold slowly rose from his chair and grabbed his bag, noticing a presence behind him. Gerald stood patiently at the end of the desk rows, waiting for his best friend to hurry up.

"Come on, Arnold. I'm starving!" He signaled after placing his fist on his hip.

Arnold smiled and nodded, feeling a little bit better now that some time had passed. He finished gathering his things and rushed out of the room with his companion close by. Mustering up what little he could, Arnold gave a wary sigh and looked over at his best friend who knew the confession was coming.

"I'm sorry, Gerald..." The young blonde boy started, looking ever so regretful.

"Uh huh, sorry about what?" Gerald joked, knowing it would only push the boy forward.

Arnold adjusted his backpack in effort to get more comfortable, even though it physically wasn't really bothering him. "I know we have no secrets between us so I'll just come right out and say it, okay?" He started and Gerald smiled in response.

"Last night... after I called you and the others to help with our project, Helga and I got to talking and..." He slowly trailed off, gripping his backpack tighter for some sort of support.

"And...?" Gerald mimicked, not letting his best friend off the hook.

"And...! Well..." Arnold suddenly stopped in the middle of the hallway as they got close to the cafeteria. This wasn't a conversation that needed to be brought in ears of their classmates. He gave Gerald and anxious look before continuing. "Her home life isn't really great. It's why I decided to make her family business our project..."

"Yeah, I know. So what? We're gonna help fix it and everything will be cool, right?" Gerald replied, now sort of confused at why Arnold was dragging the subject along.

Arnold scratched the back of his arm. "Well, I really didn't have her consent to do all this... sorta just pushed her to let me."

Gerald shook his head, although not totally surprised to hear that Arnold was going about saving her in his own way. "Pushed her?" Gerald said in an exhausted tone.

"Well, yeah..." Arnold lowered his head in shame.

"Mm, mm, mm..." Gerald scolded. "Now let me guess, you guys had a fight because she didn't want you snooping into her Private Affairs and, instead of backing down like a normal person would, you insisted on doing this until she gave in?" The dark skin boy paused to let out a heavy sigh. "When are you gonna learn, Arnold? I know you mean well, you're always Mr. Problem solver! But like I said to you before, some people can't JUST be saved! If she doesn't want you to help, why fight with her about it?"

"Well it wasn't exactly a fight!" Arnold exclaimed, causing his friend to widen his eyes in both shock and genuine surprise. "I mean, I guess it was... at first! But it didn't end like that... I guess...?" Arnold could feel the doubt raising forward and realized he really didn't have much to stand on in this explanation. "I dunno..."

Suddenly Arnold felt his friend's hand firmly grasp his shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze of encouragement and causing him to look back up again.

"Just continue... It can't be all that bad, surely." Gerald coaxed, giving a small smile and hoping his friend would continue to get whatever it was off his chest, even if this was now getting to be a bit redundant.

"Okay..." Arnold breathed. "We talked for a little while and I think I got her to really open up to me. It was only just for a little while, but then my parents interrupted to bring us cookies and she used that as a way of escape."

"Sounds like something she'd do." Gerald mused with a smirk. "So what, you don't know how to approach her now or something?"

"It's not that." Arnold shook his head, and looked up at his friend in desperation. "After that, I had this really crazy dream where she was being enslaved by her dad! It was really bad; Gerald and now I feel like I need to help her even more than before!" He finally finished.

Gerald let go of his friends shoulder and propped both hands on his hips before looking away in a moment's thought. He could understand why Arnold was feeling conflicted about something and wanted to relieve him of this pressure but how...?

"Okay Arnold, how about this..." The tall hair boy started. "You aren't going to bring up the topic to her again because you know damn well she will just avoid it. She IS the master at hiding stuff, after all. I mean, she hid how she felt for you for how long? So just carry on with your day like nothing ever happened last night and this includes the dream that you absolutely will NOT tell her about. Got that?" Gerald said sternly as he poked Arnold in the chest to solidify his intentions were serious.

"But why? Shouldn't I be honest with her?" Arnold replied, confused.

"Of course you should but sometimes... you gotta know when and where to bring stuff up. In your room alone? That's a perfect! But here at school or some other public place is out of the question. Be smooth, my man." Gerald said as he patted his best friend on the back. "Besides, we all have plans after school to set your project in motion which, I have to say, is a rather bold move."

His last few words made Arnold laugh. "Well, I am a bold kid, after all."

Gerald smiled and returned his laugh. "I wonder who said that? Definitely not me..." He said as he led them both into the cafeteria.

"Crimity! Can this food get anymore crappy?!" Helga yelled as she stirred her lumpy mashed potatoes on her tray. "Murderers probably get better grub than this junk."

Phoebe sat down thoughtfully next to her boisterous friend and pulled out a pad and paper. She had already made a few plans on how to go about the big project to save Bobs Beepers and wanted to share them with her friend. "Ready to go over the plans, Helga?" She asked happily.

"Psh, what plans?" Helga scowled.

Phoebe tilted her head. "The plans for yours and Arnold project." With that she opened up the notebook and began to explain the outline. The who, what, where and when of everything that would go down over the next week. As she explained it, their two boy partners approached them with their own meals and sat down to fully listen in. Everyone was there minus one person.

"I can't believe I have to do this..." Rhonda complained from over at her table, staring off at the group from far away. "If I had to help anyone, Helga would definitely be last on the list. I mean, have you met her, Nadine? She's loud and nasty and hasn't even changed her color scheme since kindergarten. I simply just won't do it!"

Nadine sighed with annoyance as she placed her own food tray down next to the vicious girl. "But you agreed to, didn't you? You can't back down now. If anything, just think of it more as you're helping Arnold instead." Rhonda let out another loud groan and placed her head on the table, causing Nadine to straighten up and look at her friend straight in the face. "You shouldn't have agreed to help if you were gonna act like this, Rhonda." She scolded.

"Ugh! I know but he just sounded so... DESPERATE!" The posh girl whined. "I figured it would be nice to help the little people once in a while, you know, show my good natured side but..."

Hearing the term "little people" made Nadine's insides turn and disgust for her entitled friend boil up inside of her. Many times she had, had one on one talks with Rhonda with her less than self effacing attitude and how it wasn't doing either of them good. Every time it seemed like the rich girl turned over a new leaf, that leaf would crumple up and fly away along with its good natured intentions.

"Would you just go over there and join in on their plans? You already agreed to help and backing down now would only make you look bad." Nadine said after she quelled the frustrations within her. "Besides, they do need your expertise for selling the project."

Rhonda began to tap lightly at her peas, making them roll back and forth. "They do... don't they...?" she gave a little smirk at the thought. "I am the queen of fashion at this God forsaken mess of a school..."

Nadine smiled. "If anyone can help them sell beepers to those ridiculous hipsters, it definitely you."

Suddenly a light in Rhonda's head lit and she shot straight up, causing her friend to recoil. "That's right! And if anything, maybe they would feature my brilliant designs in this week's Rouge magazine! I'll be famous!"

"That's the spirit!" Nadine encouraged, routing her friend along and slowly pushing her towards the table. "Go get em, tiger!" and with that final push, sent Rhonda stumbling into the table of her intended.

The moment Rhonda bumped the table, all conversation halted and all eyes turned to the drama queen herself. Immediately, she turned around embarrassed to see that Nadine had abandoned her and made her way back to their lunch table. Turning back to the awkward group of fellow sixth graders, Rhonda cleared her throat and resumed her face. "H-Hey guys! Room for one more...?" She asked hesitantly as she posed.

Helga took a bite of her mashed potatoes and looked over at Phoebe who smiled. "Of course, Rhonda! We were just talking about you." The Japanese girl said politely, as she moved over to make room.

With a nervous chuckle, Rhonda sat down and pretended to become interested in their conversations.

"After looking up some popular hipster "icons" online, I ran into a few that seemed quite suitable for our cause. Here, have a look!" Phoebe gestured as she pushed her notebook into the middle of the table for all to see. In the notebook were printed pictures of various models and their fashion tastes.

Almost immediately, Rhonda snorted in disgust. "Good gracious!" She blurted out, pushing the notebook further from herself, causing the other four to look at her. "Absolutely NOT, Phoebe! We could do much better than this!"

"Then what's your suggestion, Rhonda?" Gerald asked as he raised an eyebrow.

His question made the girl smile deviously before pulling out her cell phone and pulling up a webpage. Each of them looked at one another before peering into the bright and shiny screen.

"This is Marcy Stark! She is number one right now in her fashion class," She explained as she scrolled through the pictures. Each with a different yet similar style of clothing to the last with same girl as the model. "One thing you should know about hipsters is each of them are incredibly different yet very much the same. They take something that was hip and fly back in the day, and bring it back with their own flare."

"Like a specific brand of their own?" Phoebe questioned, becoming interested in what the opinionated girl had to say.

"Very good, Phoebe!" Rhonda gasped, looking over at the small girl and smiling. "That's what Hipsters are all about! Their very own brand!"

"But hold on..." Arnold interrupted. "Then wouldn't that mean that even if using beepers appealed to one, then only that one would be able to apply it to their brand?" He was now beginning to become concerned that their plan was a bust.

Rhonda snorted. "Yes, but no..." She then took her phone away and pulled up another page. "You see, every fashionista has followers... You know? Like posers! Others who idolize that specific person and want to look just like them!"

This caused Helga laugh. "Yeah, I got you. Like 'It Girl'" She outbursts. "Boy that was a ride that I'll never get on again... Even Miriam began dressing like me..."

Rhonda couldn't help but shutter at the thought. "Yes..." she then pointed at a number under the models picture."That number there is how many people are subscribed to her photos. Those are the people who are attempting to dress like her and be her, even though it's her own brand. Got it?"

As the others peered at the phone, they became astounded at the number they were looking at. "Holy..." Gerald gasped.

"That's a lot of people..." Arnold added.

Rhonda nodded and put away her phone. "Yes and these are the fans we will be attempting to reach!"

"Okay that's all well and good, princess" Helga pounded her hand on the lunch table, causing it to shake. "But how do those people find out about my dad's beeper sale? And I didn't see her wearing one so why would they even care?" she asked.

Rhonda rolled her eyes at such a dumb question. "We get her to wear one of your dad's beepers and voila! Suddenly they'll be at your doorstep begging for one"

"Just like Wacko Watches!" Gerald boasted. "All I did was make them seem really new and exciting and I practically had customers eating out of my hands! Even the owner of the company bought them all back from me at double the price! We could do the same with beepers!"

"This is exactly why I brought us all together. Gerald is an expert salesman, Rhonda is the best at fashion knowledge and Phoebe has the best management planning out of all of us. With us five, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that we could pull off selling these beepers!" Arnold grinned to them all, connecting with each one of their hearts on a personal level, causing them all to agree to his plan. He then turned to his angry looking partner, who was casually picking apart her food and flicking it across the room at unknowing passerbyers. "That just leaves you, Helga! After school you should pitch this idea to your dad and see if he'll go along."

"Psh, Sure, whatever Arnoldo. Consider it done." She smirked, barely looking in his direction.

This caused Arnold to frown at her lack of interest but he knew that once the ball started to roll, she would see that there was hope in their plan. "Okay good! How about we meet at my house today around... 4ish? Sound good?"

Each kid nodded and agreed in unison and soon the bell rang for lunch to conclude. Once the table left, save for Arnold and Gerald, the two did their secret hand shake.

"Looks like you got a pretty solid plan, my brotha." Gerald smiled as they exited the lunch room in route of their class.

"I hope so. Helga didn't sound too excited but I know she'll come around..." Arnold replied, as he filled his heart with hope.

"Ohhhh~ my beloved!" Helga cooed to her golden Arnold locket in the girl's bathroom, after making sure no one was around to hear. "Going through so much trouble to get everyone together to help out my cause! Planning and preparing even the littlest of things all just for me, Helga G. Pataki... What a benevolent little angel you are!" She then put on a frown as she looked at herself in the mirror. "And alas, here I am... Acting like I want no part in it. Acting like I don't care, as usual." She sighed and turned around, resting up against a sink and crossing her arms. "If only I could believe in him a little more. Sure, his plan seems pretty solid especially if we have Geraldo and Miss Princess Lloyd at our disposal, but then we have Big Bob who will probably say how stupid the idea is. That guy wouldn't budge even if a boulder was rolling his way..." Suddenly an interesting thought came into her head and a grin slowly grew across her face. "That's it!" She shouted and exited the bathroom to join her last class of the day.

"Oh no, no!" Bob shouted as he sifted through the box of beepers, counting them individually. "I don't need anyone else helping our business! I have enough on my plate. Too much to add supervising little eight year olds while they attempt to sell beepers."

"...We're twelve, dad." Helga replied with a poker face. "And besides, you don't need to manage us. If anything think of it as free labor!" Helga gestured towards him to get out of his box and sit back down in his big green lay-z-man chair. "You sit here, watch your TV shows and we'll be out there pitching your sales! You did say you wanted us to wrack in the big bucks, right?"

Bob raised his eyebrow. "I dunno...This sounds suspicious. What's the catch?"

Helga waved her hands back and forth "There IS no catch, Bob. I want to get out from living in this broken down shop just as much as you do and the sooner the better. Just think of this as..." She then thought to herself before putting on a sickeningly sweet face and imitating her older sister "Helping out my wonderful family"

Bob let out a whole belly laugh "Hah! You? Helping out the family? That's hilarious."

Helga then put back on her usual scowl. "Do you want free labor and big sales or not?" She stomped her foot.

With little deliberation, Bob was inclined to agree to her pitch. "Alright... But don't disappoint me. A lot is riding on you, girl." He said with a handshake.


	5. Chapter 5

The wind blew through her long blonde pigtails as she walked proudly across her town in route to her best friends. Pleased with her accomplishment of getting Bob to let her and her friends help out, she wore a grin every step of the way. It seemed as though maybe today would be a good day, after all, she hadn't gotten into any fights with Arnold or her classmates. Nothing could go wrong, right?

Phoebe's house was only a few blocks away from where she stood at a crosswalk. Helga waited patiently for the signal to walk and followed the other mass of people also heading in the same direction as her. Silently, she listened to the noises of the city. Did they even really need to improve the city? Not only that, did reviving Bob's Beepers really benefit the city at all? How would he even stay in business even if they did manage to sell off his current stock? Hipsters or no, they alone wouldn't keep Bob in business so hopefully he would wake up and jump into the cell phone line. Thoughts upon thoughts entered Helga's mind until she reached her destination.

Stepping up the stoop, she rang the door bell. Seconds passed until a tall red haired women answered.  
"Oh my! If it isn't Helga." Phoebe's mom greeted the small girl warmly. "Phoebe is almost ready I'm sure. Would you like to come in?" She asked politely.

"No thanks, Reba. I'll just wait outside on the stoop" Helga replied as she backed up and prepared to sit down.

"Suit yourself, darling" The women smiled before turning around. "Phoebe! Helga is here! Better hustle before she leaves you behind." She shouted behind her with her thick Kentucky accent.

Helga chuckled to herself at the thought of Phoebe rushing to get out just because of that. She had never left without her friend and she knew today wouldn't be the day she started. Especially with not how well everything seemed to be going. It was nearly the time decided for all five of them to meet at Arnold's house.

"Sorry for the wait, Helga." Phoebe apologized as she opened and closed her front door behind her.

"What? Did you forget notes or something?" The blonde answered patiently, slowly rising from her seat.

"No." Phoebe corrected, "I was actually in the bathroom."

"Oh." Helga replied, sort of shocked of how blunt her companion had been about it. "Well okay then, let's get going. God forbid we're late and Rhonda is early. She'll throw a fit." She said as she began to walk ahead.

"Coming!" Phoebe smiled, clutching her notes in her hand that she had prepared for today's meeting.

After school, Phoebe had promptly gone home to begin collecting all the information needed to proceed in a timely manner. Although her and Gerald had their own project to do, this one was much more important to her as it directly affected someone close to her. Knowing in her heart that she was willing to go far and beyond for her friend, Phoebe warmly smiled as she walked.

"So how did it go with your father, Helga?" The small girl inquired.

Helga let out a loud chuckle and gave her friend thumbs up. "Hook, line and sinker Pheebs! The moment I said free labor he was 100% down with the idea, even if he was a little skeptical."

"I don't suppose you explained to him our plan, did you?" Phoebe asked; holding her books closer to her chest for better support.

"Yeah right! If I had told him we were trying to get idol followers to buy his stupid relics, he would probably blow a gasket and say we were humiliating his business or something stupid." Helga laughed. "Besides, what does it matter how we sell them? Money is money."

"Yes…" Phoebe hesitated. "However I cannot help but feel we are deceiving him, Helga."

"Yeah well what the big oaf won't know won't kill him, right?" Helga said, now imagining him gathering dollars as they fell around him into a big pile and greedily smiling as he hugged his pile of money. "The end result is all that matters. Arnold seems pretty convinced that his goody do-good plan will be an amazing success so, whatever."

"It's true, and his plan does have a sort of… new age commercialized feel to it." Phoebe looked thoughtfully up at her partner, "How do you feel about it, Helga? Do you think it will work as much as he does? You would know your father's business better than anyone."

Helga hummed to herself a moment, in thought. "It could work. I'm not gonna be all up in arms about it if it fails but, at the same time, if it does work then I'll be out of the woods for going homeless…" She explained. "So that's a plus."

"It's just really surprising that you'd let Arnold do this project." Phoebe stated as she looked around to make sure no one of importance was nearby to hear their next few words. "On account of, he'll be delving into your family matters and I know how much you need privacy. Are you sure you're ready to let him do that?"

Helga grimaced at the thought and heaved a heavy sigh at the topic. She knew that she had to come clean with her relationship's progression at some point but hoped it wouldn't have been this soon.  
"I'm gonna have to let him in at sometime… right?" She weakly said as she rubbed the side of her arm and looked away shyly.

"Helga!" Phoebe said loudly, causing them both to stop and Helga to focus on her small friend's glowing enthusiasm. "This is great!" She smiled brightly and gripped her hands tight with excitement.

"W-what I-is?!" Helga asked, taken quite aback.

"This!" She gleamed. "This is quite a big step for you to be taking, especially so soon! I can honestly say I'm excited for you!

Helga could feel the guilt raise up in her chest as there was so much she had not told her best friend yet and began to nervously laugh. "Y-yeaaahhh! I know, right? Who would have thought…?" She said as her voice got higher and higher pitched.

Phoebe couldn't help but notice Helga's odd behavior and raised an eyebrow. "Helga… Why are you avoiding eye contact with me…?" she pried slowly.

"Eye contact? Who's avoiding eye contact?" Helga evaded although feeling her best friends piecing gaze from behind her.

"Helga…" Phoebe stood her ground and crossed her arms sternly. Much to her opponent's dismay, she had no intention of backing down.

The blonde pigtailed girl knew there was no way she was going to win this stand-off and gave into defeat. Digging her heels on the pavements surface, she inhaled sharply as she prepared her next response. "I know… you know… already let him get inside my head a little bit." Feeling her embarrassment peak, Helga couldn't help but explode in front of her best friend. "Geez Pheebs! It's Arnold we're talking about here! He's like some old wise soul guru for cripes sake! It was only a matter of time before he started working his way into the little crevices of my mind and nosing around!" Phoebe uncrossed her arms and watched as Helga began to get hysterical.

"I tried to keep him out!" She yelled, pointing at the young girls face. "But Nooo! He just wouldn't take no for an answer! 'What's wrong, Helga? How can I help? Is there anything I can do? Talk to me." She threw up her hands in animation, stomping around and imitating the boy. "Crimity! There is only so many times I can try to avoid the kid's interrogation tactics before I crack, you know?" and with that said, looked to Phoebe for pity. "So I sorta cracked under pressure and let him in a little bit. Told him a little about my family situation and how it absolutely sucks. Nothing too huge, right?"

Phoebe stood there, dumbfounded as she fully digested Helga's confession. She had heard every word that her fellow female had explained, however the sheer ridiculousness of it all became a bit too much for her to withstand and soon, a warm grin reviled itself once more and she quickly embraced her friend.

"I'm just so happy, Helga…" Phoebe could feel tears beginning to well up in her brown eyes, although blocked by Helga's pink dress.

"W-what?" Helga stammered, hesitating at first to accept the sudden physical contact until giving in and patting Phoebe on the back.

Phoebe let go of her silly friend and stood back, wiping the single rogue tear that managed to escape. "You're finally getting what you've always wanted, right?" She then waited for a response back but after realizing there wouldn't be one, she continued. "Arnold is going way out of his way to show you that he cares and he's not doing it for someone else, Helga! He's doing it for you."

Helga could feel a blush creeping up across her face as she listened. This was something she had realized herself before but hearing it from another person's mouth made it all the more real to her. "Y-yeah. I g-guess so."

"Helga!" Phoebe shouted in happiness, before grabbing her stunned friend's hand. "It's time we go over his house and let you fully embrace his efforts. What do you say?"

Helga smiled and nodded. "Yeah. Let's go see what that dooface of a football head has in store for today's plans.

Inside Arnold's bedroom, He and Gerald, along with their newly found guests Helga and Phoebe sat around staring at the clock. It had been about 20 minutes since the girls' arrivals and they were now waiting for their last crucial member.

"Leave it to Princess Rhonda to leave us all hanging…" Helga scowled as she impatiently tapped her foot.

"Don't worry, Helga. I'm sure she'll be here soon." Arnold reassured with his usual hopefulness.

Just as he had finished his sentence, they all turned to the door as they could hear loud running up his old wooden steps and suddenly the bedroom door burst open wide with a out-of-breath Rhonda in its center.  
"Oh… My… God." She panted, catching her breath and holding herself up against the doorframe.

"What?" Asked Arnold.

"What is it?" Gerald echoed.

Giving herself a moment to collect herself, Rhonda whipped out her cell phone and held it up for all to see. "You will NEVER guess who I just got off the phone with!" she boasted enthusiastically.

"Who?!" They all asked in unison.

"The one and only Hipster Queen herself! Marcy Stark!" She shouted in glee. "I had no idea that daddy's company was affiliated with hers! When I explained to him why I was coming here, he graciously gave me her contact information and I called her up!"  
Each one of the teens looked at each other in both excitement and disbelief as they listened to the rich girl go on.

"And?" Arnold inquired joyfully.

"And after I explained your project and Helga's situation, she said she would be happy to come here to Hillwood and wear the beepers for her adoring fans! Isn't that wonderful?!" Rhonda said as she sat down on Arnold's bed and crossed her legs in position. "I absolutely must call Nadine! We have a photo shoot to prepare!"

"Wow!" Phoebe said, astonished.

"I'll say…" Gerald agreed. "I can't believe you have contacts like that, Rhonda!"

"Yeah well anything is possible when you're as rich and powerful as my family." She replied, turning on her phones touch screen and typing something into it. "You're sooooo lucky that I was willing to help, Arnold."

"And where is this photo shoot going to happen, exactly?" Helga asked, skeptical.

"My man Fuzzy Slippers knows a guy with a studio; I'll get Jamie-O to ask him if we can use it for an afternoon or something." Gerald offered with a smile.

"That's awesome, Gerald! I can't believe this is all happening and so fast!" Arnold said, unable to contain his excitement. "When is she coming here, Rhonda?"

"Huh? Oh, she said she was free this Saturday and to let her know where and when to meet. Her schedule is pretty tight but she said she would make room to help us out." Rhonda explained; her eyes not breaking away from her phone for a moment as she continued to text.

"This is amazing!" Arnold expressed again, but this time peering over to Helga and locking eyes. "See, Helga! I told you this would all work out!"

Feeling his joy rush through her body, Helga slowly began to warm up to the idea and felt as though she was melting in her seat. Knowing now wasn't the time to swoon, she snapped herself back out of his sublime gaze. "Sounds perfect, Arnoldo but there is just one thing." She started, catching everyone's attention. "We're supposed to be done with our project by Friday. What are we gonna write for a project? A 'to be continued'? I told my dad we would be selling his beepers and if we don't produce any sales, he won't let this happen.

"I know." Gerald piped up. "Why don't we take some of the stash he has now and try to just sell them soap box style?"

"A very rustic way of approaching it; however I don't feel that will be the best approach." Phoebe frowned. "Mr. Pataki already has many advertisements around the city, not to mention the commercials."

Arnold listened to them go back and forth with ideas, while he himself began to ponder the options. It was true that everyone in town knew about Bob's beepers going out of business and the sales, so how would they profit meanwhile? Sure, their project was more of an idea paper rather than an execution piece; however without some sort of trial and error their paper would be meaningless.

"Why not go out of town, then?" Arnold suggested. "I could get my grandpa to bring us a few towns over and we could pitch his sales there."

"Hmm…" Phoebe thought for a moment. "That wouldn't be a bad idea. Commercials generally are only shown to surrounding areas of relevance. If we were to go outside that radius, we're bound to get at least some sales."

Helga jumped up and dusted herself off. "Well that settles it! Get the Packard, Short man. We're going to sell some beepers!"

Arnold and his friends rushed down the stairs and into the dining room, where Phil and Oscar happened to be having a fight over which one of them won a game of backgammon. Welcoming the interruption, Phil listened to the boys idea and after pondering it, decided "What the hey, I don't have anything to do so why not!" and they all set out to the beeper emporium to pick up a box or two of beepers.

The drive seemed shorter than it was, as everyone enjoyed each other's company and chit-chatted about local events. About an hour and a half passed and soon they were nearing the next city. Sky scrapers loomed in the distance and heavy smoke puffs could be seen in the sky from what could be assumed to be factories. It was a more industrial sort of city.

"This is it…" Phil said as he drove near one of the toll booths. "Get my wallet for me, short man."

Arnold nodded and did as he was told. He rummaged through the glove compartment until he found the old man's wallet and promptly handed it to him the moment he stopped the car. "Here, grandpa."

Phil rolled his window down and took a gander at the person in the booth. It was a young women, probably about 24 years old, with hair of black and streaks of purple. She wore metal cuffs and piercings on her nose and lip. "Well aren't you an interesting looking young lady! How much will it be?" He asked in his own charming type of way.

The women chewed on her gum as she looked down at him humorless. "$4.00" she replied before blowing a bubble and snapping it loudly.

Phil opened up his wallet and handed her a $5 bill. "Here ya go, young lady." He said cheerfully. As she went through her desk to get him change, he looked up ahead again at the city. "So any fun things to do here?" He asked.

"No, not really unless you like big business and pollution." She answered, handing him back his change.

Phil grimaced and handed the one to his grandson. "Sounds like a blast! Thank you!" He said as he pulled forward and waited for the blocker to let him through. He turned to the kids "You guys ready? I don't know what you expect to find here but I hope it's worth it."

As they continued onward, the sight in front of them seemed sort of familiar. The lay out looked exactly like something Future Tech Industry wanted for their own town. Highways, corporate buildings and busy business folk walking around with cell phones in their ears.

"What is this place?" Arnold asked, sticking his head out the window for a better view.

"Cidarview is what it said back there on a billboard… but I don't think we'll be seeing any trees in this place. At least, not anymore." Phil explained, as he squint his eyes to see through the thick smoke they were passing through.

"Crimity Arnold, roll up the window!" Helga shrieked. "The smell is horrible!"

"Yeah, that's factories for ya. Aren't you kids glad we stopped FTi from invading our nice neighborhood? Our nice little home would have been slowly turned into something like this…" Phil started as they now entered what looked to be like Main Street. Noisy people surrounded them as they walked across the cross walk, lights and TV's flashed on buildings and sirens could be heard in the distance. Everyone seemed like they had some important place to get to and no one even bothered to look up or greet another. "A concrete jungle."

"Seems perfect to sell beepers, though." Gerald suggested with a twinge of hope in his voice.

"Beepers?" Rhonda asked in bewilderment. "Look at them, Gerald! They all have cell phones! Why would anyone here need to rely on old technology like that?" She sighed. "This just might be a lost cause."

"Don't say that, Rhonda." Arnold said as he looked over the front seat. "I'm sure there might be people here who can't afford cell phones or something that would buy them."

"There you go again, Arnold. Always looking on the Brightside…" Rhonda commented, as she looked away from him and out the window.

Arnold stared at the rest of them in silence; doubt and worry all over their face. "Someone has to…" He replied.

"Arnold is right." Phoebe chirped. "Where there is rich, there is always bound to be poor. If the majority of citizens here are in business then it's a possibility that some are just starting out and don't quite have the income to sustain a cell phone contract, which in turn, beepers will be a suitable suggestion."

Her comment made Arnold smile before turning back to the road ahead. "Yeah! So we can't lose hope!"

"Whatever you say, Arnoldo…" Helga sighed as she looked out her own window, although deep inside she was swooning. "Oh Arnold, my liberator, my redeemer! You have brought us all the way to this smokestack infested place just to help me… me and only me, my angel. I know deep in my heart that you will find a way to accomplish your goal, and this time it's my very own well being! How I wish for you to know how ever grateful I am that we are here. When this is all over, I will force with all my might to tell you how I feel, my savior."

Phil pulled up to a large Victorian style stone building with a large staircase and two water fountains and all the children gathered over to the left side of the car. "Well would you look at that! Pretty fancy, eh?" he chuckled to himself. "Might be a library or museum or something. Want me to drop you off here? Seems like a nice wide open place with lots of foot traffic."

"Sure, thanks, grandpa!" Arnold smiled as he and the others began to gather up their backpacks. "Where will you be?"

"Oh you know, around." Phil said sneakily as he looked around at buildings and people surrounding them. "How about I pick you kids up in an hour or two?"

"Sounds great, Mr. Shortman." Phoebe smiled as she exited the old car.

"Great!" The old man replied. "Stay safe and don't do anything I would do!" and he zoomed off, leaving the others standing there wondering what to do next.

All was quiet between the friends as a breeze blew an old news paper by. Unsure of what to do next, they all shuffled amongst themselves leaving someone to stand up and take lead of the whole situation.

"Already ladies and gents! Here is how it's gonna go." Helga started as she pulled out a bunch of papers from her backpack. "Geraldo here is gonna shout to the people and be the voice of our little group, while Rhonda, Phoebe and I will hand out fliers."

Arnold started to feel a little left out. "What will I do then, Helga?" He asked, concerned.

"You will go around to each one of these buildings here and hopefully get some sort of useful information that might help us sell these things, in case this soap box routine doesn't pan out." Helga instructed as she jabbed her finger into his chest. "Got it?"

"By going to the individual businesses, it will help us discover their specific needs and if our product is for them." Phoebe added as she flipped her notebook paper and went over her notes. "You're job is probably the most important."

"Yeah so you better do it right, football head." Helga smiled slyly, looking directly into his eyes and hoping he made direct contact.

Under normal circumstances Arnold would have felt annoyed by being singled out while everyone else cooperated alongside each other, but as Helga peered into his eyes, he could see the missing message between them. Putting on a front like normal, she was giving him the most important task because she knew he could do it and this made him feel full of energy. "Alright. Got it." He smiled back, taking a few of the fliers from her hand. "I'll see you later, guys!" He waved and then ran across the street into the first building he saw.

"Alright Tall hairboy, you're up." Helga gestured to the dark skinned male.

Gerald nodded then cleared his throat. "Tired of overpriced cell phone bills? Tired of hearing your phone ringing off the hook non-stop? Concerned about the possibility of radioactive waves causing brain cancer?" He shouted to the public, causing a few people to look over at them. "Well, look no further! We have genuine grade 'A' beepers available now for anyone and everyone! Low maintenance and cheap, beepers are the way to go! Why have a bulky cell phone attached to you that could fall at any moment and cost you a fortune when you could have this small square device that slides easily in your pocket? It won't fall out! And if by chance it does, the repairs are only a fraction of what you'd have to pay to fix your phone!" Gerald continued to call out, looking left and right, making as much eye contact with every passing pedestrian. "Here me now, brothers and sisters! Come over and take a look at this wonderful product we have available for you right here, right now at a low, low cost you can only get this week! That's right, you heard me only this WEEK! Big Bobs Beepers are here to help with all your communicating needs on the go!"  
Soon a swarm of people circled around the 4, as they gladly handed out informative flyers regarding the beepers and where they could buy them.

"Wow, I can't believe this is actually working…!" Helga called out to the party.

Arnold had walked into a few buildings; each looking almost identical to the last with pure white walls, a guard at each doorway, a large half moon receptionist desk and two large elevators in the back. He would immediately greet the receptionist, ask to talk to their communications department or something of the like, and then offer some information just to be denied. After one too many of the same responses from the businesses, he began just offering the flyers to the front counter and to the guard before he continued on his way. "This is a lot harder than I thought…" He grumbled to himself as he walked along the sidewalk. It was starting to get late and he was beginning to get hungry. "I wonder where grandpa is?" He wondered out loud, plunging his free hand into his jacket pocket. "I hope the others have made out better than I did."

The last building on the strip looked to be a small private hospital. Feeling down and out, Arnold made his way inside. Many people sat inside the large waiting room, coughing, sneezing and moaning in pain while nurses walked to and fro. He noticed a large clock above the check-in station. It was almost time for him to go back to the others. Letting out a small sigh, he set his last flyer down at the station, placed both hands in his pockets and left.

The walk back to his friends felt slow and tiresome as the boy focused on his immense disappointment in his lack of progress. He had been given such an important task and yet, he was coming back completely empty handed. Was Helga right? Will this really fail? He quietly asked inside his mind. Sadly, he kicked an empty soda can to the side of the curb and waited for the 'walk' signal to turn. Arnold picked up his head and looked from his left to his right to observe the strangers now besides him. A women in a black suit carrying a briefcase and looking at her watch, an older man dressed in something his grandpa might wear; accompanying a small girl probably around the same age as Gerald's sister Timberly, a group of college aged girls chatting happily about their new hot teacher and lastly, an elderly women hunched over with a cane. The sign soon turned and everyone began to walk, pushing each other out of the way to eagerly continue forward. Concerned for the older woman, he glanced over to see her beginning to struggle to get across as people continued to walk in front of her.

"Do you need a hand?" He asked politely, wearing a pleasant smile.

The old women looked up at him, a bit of shock in her weathered face. "Why yes… That would be nice. Thank you, young man…" She replied, gesturing Arnold to step in front of her to guide the way through the mob.

Feeling high with conviction, Arnold did his best in leading the older woman across the street and to the side of a building, letting the mob finally pass until the light turned green once again; allowing cars to go but people to wait.

"You're not from around here, are you child?" She asked curious as she stabled herself with her long cane.

"Is it that obvious?" Arnold replied; a little weary of the question. It was quite obvious that he looked a little lax compared to the busy people with a strong objective in front of them; however he didn't think he stood out that much.

The woman's face wrinkled with a frown. "No one ever stops to help anyone here. Everything is go, go, go… pushing and shoving with entitlement. Back in my day, everyone counted their pennies and was grateful with what they were given, as there wasn't much to give." She heaved a heavy sigh as she plunged deep into her memories. "Having a job was something to be proud of, not expected to have. All I ever see now are lazy workers standing around department stores expecting pay for just showing up. No one ever offers to help. No one ever even gives a warm hello…" The woman turned back to Arnold, and softened her gaze. "That is why you stand out, young man."

Her story gave Arnold a bit of mixed emotions as he grasped her story. Although he was happy she appreciated his small gesture, he was sad that everyone here was so selfish. "I'm sorry to hear that you don't have many nice people here, ma'am. I'm happy to help." He said, mustering up another warm smile that he knew she'd enjoy.

The woman nodded. "Well, I best be getting on my way. It's my grandson's birthday, you know? He's turning nine, isn't that splendid?!" She chuckled, before shuffling down the street and away from him.

"Nine, huh?" Arnold responded to himself, his words out of reach from her ears. "Lots of things can happen, when you're nine…" He began to reminisce of some fond memories as he continued towards his own destination.

Gerald sat down on the steps, out of breath and in dire need of some water. The girls had just finished handing out as many flyers as possible however did not manage to sell one beeper despite the potential buyers and interested people.

"I cannot believe I just wasted the day like this!" Rhonda huffed as she crossed her arms.

"You got that right, sister." Helga agreed as she accompanied Gerald on the stone steps. "I knew this wasn't going to work but noooo, Mr. Brightside just had to bring us to the middle of who-know-wheresville." She said as she rested her arms across her legs.

"That's not completely true. It is possible that they'll contact your father or go down to the emporium themselves later on." Phoebe stated as she readjusted her glasses.

"Yeah, don't be so negative all the time Helga." Gerald scowled next to her, "Arnold is working hard to try and help you, why not be a least a little appreciative?"

Knowing his words reign true, Helga scowled back in frustration. She did appreciate it! More than his feeble little mind could possibly fathom! But that was none of his business and he had no authority to talk down to her. "Oh, I'm sorry Gerald but when did I become obligated to be happy about someone else butting into my life? I never asked him to do this!"

Gerald could feel his impatience begin to rise within his chest. It didn't surprise him in the least that she would either be absolutely stubborn to the truth or putting up a front but regardless his body was stressed and her attitude wasn't making him feel any better. "That's right, you didn't but that's even more of a reason that you should appreciate it! The guy is troubling himself over your project night and day. Do you seriously think it's just for a good grade or something? Because I'm pretty certain that, that's not case Helga and you know it!"

Surprised to the two's sudden feud, confused Rhonda stood back and listened, looking to Phoebe with questioning eyes who gave her no voluntary answer, just a worried look back.

Feeling her own anger beginning to reach its peak at every word he spewed, Helga rose from her seat and got faced to face with the boy. "And what do YOU know, Geraldo?! Because I can tell you exactly what I know. I know that if you don't like it then you can complain to old Betsy here!" She roared, shoving her pale fist in his face.

Immediately pushing her hand away, Gerald also stood up and faced her head on. "Oh just stop it, Helga! You know very well what I know and pretending otherwise is just plain stupid!" He shouted and growled, causing her to growl back. The boy was smart enough to know that fighting with her wouldn't get him anywhere and would only cause further stress, however he just couldn't help himself. He stepped back, attempting to regain composure. "Man, I'll never know what he sees in you." He muttered to himself. "I'm going to the vending machine to get some water." He finished, walking away.

Phoebe looked at Helga with sorrow, then back towards her suitor. Not sure of what to do or what to say, she simply raced off in his direction to make sure he was okay.

"Psh, Whatever," Helga scoffed. "Do what you want. See if I care."

Rhonda applied her thumb and index finger to her forehead, unsure of what to make of the scene prior. "What… was that about, exactly?" She asked, quite annoyed.

"None of your business, Rhonda." Helga replied simply.

"Oh no, no, no!" Rhonda scolded as she waved her finger at the hostile girl. "You're not getting away with it that easy, Helga. What was that? Is there something I missed?" she asked, observing Helga's nonverbal responses. After being ignored, Rhonda started to think for herself but come up with nothing other than Helga just being Helga. She whined in frustration and began to throw a tantrum.

"I said it's none of your business and I MEANT it, Rhonda! Now buzz off!" Helga hollered as she slumped back down on the steps. "In other words, Princess, It's on a need to know basis and you clearly don't need to know."

"What's going on, guys?" Asked a familiar voice.

Both girls turned towards the speaker and the mood lightened up. Arnold stood there, with the same innocent smile they had always seen him wear; unbeknownst to him of the storm that had just passed.

"Arnold!" Rhonda sighed with relief "Finally, you're back!" She then looked around him and frowned. "Where is your grandpa? I was hoping he would be back by now too."

Arnold tilted his head in confusion, and then turned his gaze towards his admirer. He could see her face was red and the air between them was a little tense. Concerned about the unknown, he turned back to Rhonda. "Why? What happened?"

"Oh, the usual," Rhonda replied as she placed her hand on her hip and posed; brushing her hair back with her other hand. "Helga going off the deep end and yelling at everyone." She explained before scowling at the other girl.

The information given to him gave Arnold even more cause for concern. Feeling something was off; he looked around them and noticed the absence of two more of his classmates. "Where are Gerald and Phoebe?"

Helga snorted at the question. "Off sharing a water fountain or something; who knows?"

He could hear the hurt in her voice and he could feel his heart sink within himself. He was certain that a fight probably took place between them but didn't know who or what or why. Wanting answers, he turned back towards Rhonda but before he could open his mouth to speak, he saw the missing two members of their party in the distance and heading his way. Deciding it would be far more fruitful to ask them, he rushed passed the girls to his best friend.

"Hey Gerald" He greeted as he skidded to a halt.

"Oh… Hey Arnold." Gerald responded, clearly just as unhappy as the rest of them.

"What happened? Everyone seems pretty tense." He asked, scratching his oblong shaped head.

Gerald opened his mouth to speak but was politely hushed by Phoebe who then went on ahead to explain the situation that had just transpired between the friends. Arnold listened with disappointment and placed his hand on his forehead. He understood that his best friend and she would never completely see eye to eye as they weren't ever close, but fighting loudly in public wasn't something to be proud of.

"I'm sorry man," Gerald hung his head. "She just irks me sometimes, you know?"

Arnold placed his hand on his friends shoulder and looked at him with sympathy. Arguing with Helga was never a pleasant experience and she did know how to be over the top and attract attention.  
"It's okay, Gerald." He sympathized. "My grandpa should be here soon so don't worry about it."

"I fear the car ride home will be… quite awkward." Phoebe grimaced as she turned to look at her pigtailed friend in the distance who wasn't acknowledging them.

"Yeah…" Arnold agreed, turning to look along with her. "But it will be okay. I'll talk to her in private when this is all over, if you want."

Gerald shook his head. "Nah, it wouldn't do much good anyway. She's Helga and will always be." His words caused both of his companions to frown and look at each other before turning back to him. "What?"

Phoebe took her boyfriends hand and looked at him square in the eyes. "I know I've never told you much about her before, since it is not my place, however you should know that there is more to her than meets the eye." She explained. "So, as I said back there, you should try to get to know her rather than just becoming hostile and egging her on to act out."

"Yeah… I know." He proceeded to hang his head again, this time out of shame for causing his own partner stress. "It's just, I don't get her."

"Right," Phoebe agreed. "And you never will until you actually make an attempt to try. Take Arnold here as a prime example," She said as she motioned to his best friend who looked up at them in surprise. "He thought similar to you for many years before allowing himself to fully see her for who she is and now they're an item." Cocking an eyebrow, Phoebe realized a error in her words and turned to the football shaped head kid. "I… think? Actually, I don't think that has ever been clarified."

"Uhhh…" Arnold stammered nervously, being placed on the spot. "That has never really been discussed. Not yet, anyway." He was surprised at his own words, however embarrassed to admit them in front of his friends.

Suddenly, as if on cue, they heard Helga yelling in the distance. They turned to her to see her waving them down and making a come here gesture. Behind her was his grandfather's old car along with his smiling face and Rhonda sitting uncomfortably in the car.

"Grandpa is here," Stated Arnold, with a hint of relief "Time to go home."

Gerald accompanied his friend with a sigh of relief, as he squeezed his girlfriend's hand. "Yeah and it's about time. I'm starving and today's been a lot longer than I wanted."

"I concur." Phoebe agreed and they all walked over to the rest of the party.


	6. Chapter 6

The car ride home was about as expected with awkward silence as thick as peanut butter. Phil had done his best to perk up the kids with his usual antics and jokes, however not even his usually playful grandson really responded back. Instead, Arnold sat in the passenger's seat with his head propped up with his hand and stared longingly out the car window. Not that there was anything interesting outside as all it was, was fast pace passing cars, people and buildings, but because he had a hanging objective on his mind. With his grandfather's voice as white noise in the background, Arnold pondered thoughtfully.

Are we an item? He thought, looking at himself in his own reflection from the window. The sky had turned dark and night time finally hit the city of Hillwood. Street lights began to turn on around him, as well as cars turning on their low beams. Is Helga… my girlfriend? Sure, he was now well aware of the feelings he was harboring along with at least a partial understanding of her own feelings; extreme as they may come out, but what did it really mean to become boyfriend and girlfriend? Did he have to formerly ask her out, or was it just implied with them acting as a couple around others? Images of them holding hands together, going out to the movies and possibly sharing small romantic moments began to flood the young man's mind and a smile graced his lips. He could fill the warmth begin to well up inside and his brain becoming a little foggy.

Phil looked over at the boy with concern due to his lack of spunk and briefly examined his face before back to the road. He smiled to himself. He had known Arnold since he was born. Known all the shenanigans he had gotten into, all his do-good schemes, known all his friends; good and bad ones. Phil knew the expression plastered on his face, as it was one he was all too familiar with.

Soon, all of his classmates had been dropped off at their respected households, said their goodbye's and Arnold and his Grandpa were on route home.

"Whatcha fantasizing about there, Short man?" Phil asked as he nudged the boy for his attention.

Snapping back into reality, Arnold jumped. "Huh? What do you mean, Grandpa?"

"Oh, you know! You've been quiet ever since I picked you and your little friends up. Got something on your mind?" Phil asked warmly as he stopped at a stop sign and looked over at his youthful passenger.

Arnold heard the question but remained quiet for a moment. He gathered up all his feelings and thoughts and tried to put them into a sequence that would make sense. He had always confided in his elder, and knew even though he could have some pretty wild advice, most of the time it was sane and well thought out. "Grandpa, how do you know when you're dating someone?" He asked innocently, looking up at his Grandfather with hope.

"When you got out on a date." Phil plainly said, cocking and eyebrow and peering over at the youth.

The answer had been so obvious, it hit Arnold in the head like a ton of bricks and he sat there and blinked for a few moments. "Is it that simple though?" Arnold continued, "You just go out on a date then suddenly become boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"Aren't you a little too young to be asking these sort of questions already, Arnold?" Phil asked with his voice full of both concern and bewilderment. "Don't you have some sorta baseball tournament to be thinking about or something?"

Arnold replied with a sigh of irritation and turned back to the window. "Never mind…"

The old man looked over at the boy and could see his clear disappointment and immediately began to regret his reactions. "Oh, I'm sorry Arnold. I was just joking." He explained as his put his free hand on the boys lap with a pat. "You really wanna talk about something like this with some old guy like me? I haven't been on the dating scene since the 1940's!" His face became soft as he started to remember. "Oh those were such good times though. Simpler too! Going out for walks in the park, getting your Grandma a milkshake with what little pocket change I had…"

Arnold perked up as he heard the small memory. "And then you asked her to become your girlfriend?"

"Oh gosh no!" Phil replied loudly as he pulled in front of the boarding house and parked his car. "I wasn't sure how to go about that actually," Phil tilted his head up and scratched his chin in thought. "What ended up happening was your Grandma got so impatient with waiting on me to ask her, she came up to me one day, grabbed me by the collar and said I'm your girlfriend now, got it?!" He began to laugh, "And in front of Jimmy Kafka, no less. Oh I didn't hear the end of that for weeks! He kept calling me a sissy for making a girl have to officialize it but look at me now! Married and have a wonderful grandson like you, Short man… While he dies alone…"

"Grandpa!" Arnold scolded as he scowled up at his grandfather. "That's not very nice."

"Yeah well neither is him still owing me that $20 from last July!" Phil retorted, both half serious and half joking. "Anyway, the point is if you want to officially be dating someone, you gotta ask them out on a date! If all goes well and she likes you the way you like her, you ask her to be your number one sweetheart and hopefully live happily ever after! Or end up like Jimmy, get punched in the face and look forward to a life of unpleasant loneliness and regret." Before Arnold could scold him again, Phil got out of his car and shut the door. "But I'm sure you'll be fine."

"How can you be so sure?" Arnold asked, following him into the house.

Phil stopped and placed his hat on top of the coat rack in the hallway. He had known for a very long time that Helga had liked young Arnold and even tried to open his grandson's eyes to the possibility, only to be shot down. He looked down at Arnold and placed his hand on top of the boy's oblong head with a smile. "Because, who wouldn't wanna accept a date from such a good boy like you?! Now go upstairs and get ready for dinner. I heard your parents were preparing us something special for tonight."

Arnold nodded and did what he was told with thoughts of possibilities and the future still in his mind. What should he say? Where should they go? Should he dress up? Arnold's heart pounded a mile a minute as he ran up to his bedroom. He then began to remember her insecurities and worries and suddenly his body turned cold. "What if she's not ready…?" He asked himself out loud before sitting down on his bed. Arnold stared at the floor as he simmered in his feelings. What if I ask and she rejects me? I know she's scared to show her feelings outside of privacy… What if making it official is too much for her? What if ASKING her is too much for her…? Slowly Arnold started to become aware of the endless possibilities; good and bad. He began to recall everything she had told him about herself, all the things she had done for him and all of the things he wanted to do for her. Even if she isn't ready, we can take it really slow. Yeah! I'll ask her and if she isn't sure, I'll tell her that she can set the pace of how we go about it. His revelation made him smile. Helga likes being in control anyway, I'm sure everything will be fine so long as we go at her pace.

"I'm home…" Helga called out lazily as she swung the door open to her place of current dwelling, promptly dropping the bag of beepers she had brought in attempt to get rid of them all.

Bob emerged from out of the sofa he was sitting in and marched towards her. "It's about damn time!" He hollered. "How many did you sell? What kind of contracts did you sign?!"

Helga gave her father a deadpan face, "None." She replied with a complete lack of emotion.

Her father's face began to swell and turn red. "What do you mean none?! I gave you the best ones I had to sell and you've been gone for hours! How have you sold none?!"

"Simple, Bob. No one wanted them." Helga answered as she proceeded to walk past his statue of a body and into their makeshift kitchen.

"Hey, hey, hey! We had a deal! You told me that you and your friends were going to sell my beepers and put us back on the map! Just what were you doing all this time?" He continued to interrogate as she poured herself a bowl of Sugar Crunch cereal.

"We did try to sell them. Many people looked interested, took flyers and information then walked off. I cannot help it if they decided to not get any." Helga said before taking a bite out of her dinner. "Maybe they'll call you tomorrow for more information?"

Bob stood there and contemplated her words for a moment. "Yeah, I hope so. If they don't, you can expect to be eating that as dinner for many more days to come." He replied before stomping back off to watch his soap operas.

Helga sighed solemnly as she continued to slowly eat her cereal. This wasn't the first or the last time this was going to be her meal, and it wasn't like this was a new thing either. It was if her father just happened to forget that they only ever made dinners when Olga was around. If it wasn't for her, than Helga's diet mainly would consist of junk food, take out and whatever the school provided. "Not like this place even has a real kitchen anyway…" She muttered to herself, as she placed her dirty bowl in the sink. The Beeper emporium had a pretty normal sized break room in the back that included a sink, refrigerator and some cabinets. Fortunately, cooking didn't need to happen often so the small makeshift one worked just fine.

Helga opened her bedroom door and glared at her bed from afar. It still was in the same unmade state she had left it in earlier that morning. It looked welcoming, however she knew that the moment the lay on it, sleep wouldn't happen. Sleep hadn't been a pleasant visitor of Helga's ever since they had been forced to move into this rundown place. I wonder if anyone has bought our old house yet? She wondered as she kicked off her shoes and fell flat on her back against the bed. In order to gain more money, Bob had sold their house back to the bank and the last she knew, it was still up for sale. Bob and Miriam had bought that house the moment they found out that Olga was arriving into their lives. It had tons of sentimental value to the family; however nothing seemed to matter more than money in the end.

Reflecting on the day that had just passed, Helga rolled on her side. She could smell the musty scent of her sheets that hadn't been washed in forever and it made her nose wrinkle. The day hadn't been so bad, even considering the lack of sales she knew would happen anyway. The fight with Gerald didn't even manage to bother her. In fact, Helga noticed at that moment that she was pretty content. Just the day before, something revolutionary had happened to her; something she never thought was even remotely possible… Arnold had accepted her for her. He had seen through her thick steel exterior and into the warm squishy heart that she had always wanted to show him. Even better than that, he had pointed out things that only Phoebe had ever touched upon: Her creativity and her passion. He was her creativity and passion! He was her muse, her inspiration, the force behind everything that drove her from becoming an unholy beast like her father.

Feeling the inspiration welling up inside of her, Helga reached down under her bed and pulled out a notebook. Flipping through the used pages, she eventually happened upon a blank one and fished out the pen from the spiral binder.

"Oh perfect creation upon which I am unworthy of,  
How can you see right through me?  
Through thorns, fire and stone barricades,  
You have captured my undying love.

What do you see when you look through the glass?  
A fragile girl, An abused specimen, An unruly guard?  
How I long for you to break through and save me,  
To bring us together forever at last.

It is true,  
I scorn you, berate you and plunder you so,  
But somehow with your magnificence,  
You have given me something new.

When all my hopes seem to fade,  
There you are, my prince!  
Hold me in your arms, Take away the pain and banish my sins,  
Now I am forever yours… I will not be afraid."

"I will not be afraid…" She repeated as she reread the words written down.

She closed the book, stuck the pen back into the spine and shoved them both back under her bed. "I can't keep doing this to myself." She spoke aloud, "I finally have Arnold! Like… I HAVE him! Arnold, my one and only true love! The boy of my dreams! The angel in my heaven! And what am I doing? Running away from him like a deranged lunatic?!"

Helga suddenly pranced off her bed and steeled her nerves. "This is absolutely ridiculous! He's right. I'm Helga G. Pataki! I don't care what everyone else thinks! I should be waving him around in front of everyone, proud of him loving me!" But although she spoke what she wanted out loud, her inner self poked at those nerves and reminded her of all her insecurities. "And yet…" She whispered as she took out her golden locket. Her beloved stared back at her and, with a single finger, she stroked his face lovingly "This is so hard for me. You, my angel of mercy, are right here with me. Watching over me, protecting me, and even trying to save me from this wretched household! With your benevolence looming all around me, I should feel at ease… not nervous." Helga closed her eyes and inhaled deeply before placing her locket back into her bosom. "That's it. I won't take Arnold for granted any longer." She stated as she plunged her foot back in her shoe. "I am going to go over that stupid football head's house and give him a piece of my mind!" She continued as her other foot was thrashed into the other shoe. "Not really so much as mind, as heart but… whatever! Who cares?! I'm just talking to myself like a psychopath at this point!"

Stomping out of her room, she grabbed a light pink jacket from a closet nearby and flung it over her shoulder just in case the night had cooled off. She glanced down the hallway in front of her and could see the flickering light of the T.V that her parents were possibly watching but heard no movement or noise. "Great, they're probably asleep." She smirked as she quietly tiptoed towards the emergency exit of the emporium. "Since we're too poor for an alarm, I'll just use this to my advantage and slip out without them noticing…" Helga slowly opened the door and peeked outside. It was deserted as usual. Looking around the broken cement around her, she noticed a small rock and wedged it into the door. "There, that outta hold until I get back. Hopefully they don't notice I'm gone." She snorted in response to her own comment. "Like that would happen."

Quickly, she ran down the streets with only one thing in mind: talking to Arnold. Sure, she could have used an office phone and called him but this was something that needed to be done in person. With him looking at her with those kind and beautiful green eyes of his, there was no way that she could go back on her new decision. Don't be afraid. Don't be scared. Don't let anyone get in your way! She yelled inside herself as she made haste towards his nearing street. Who care about anyone else?! Who cares what they think or what they do because, in the end, I can just pound them! She continued to coach herself as she saw his red building in the distance. After all, he accepts my love. Oh! My love! She clenched her locket though her clothes and pleaded internally.

Finally it was the moment of truth. Standing in his doorway, Helga breathed in and out rhythmically as she could feel her nerves beginning to break. "You can do this, Helga." She spoke as she reached up towards the doorbell. "All you gotta do is… ring this doorbell…" and with that, her finger plunged deep into small circular object, causing the whole house to hear the alarm.

"What in the world?" Phil said, placing his fork down on top of his dinner. He looked around at everyone at the table with a questioning glance, in which everyone responded back with shrugs and head shakes. "None of you are expecting anyone, are you?"

"Maybe Suzie is finally home!" Oskar cried out as he quickly stood up in his chair.

"Yeah and maybe you won the lottery, Kokoschka! Yeah right! Sit down and eat your food before I do." Ernie remarked as his fork clanged against the polish mans plate, causing Oskar to promptly sit back down and grab his plate away.

"Who would come this late at night?" Mr. Hyunh asked as he too looked around the room with much concern.

"Arnold, are you expecting company?" Miles asked as he tilted his head to his son.

Arnold shook his head but got up anyway. "No but you guys keep eating. I'll go see who it is."

"If it's those stupid salesmen, tell them I'm dead!" Arnold heard his Grandpa cry out behind him, as he exited the dining room. Arnold shook his head in disapproval and reached the door.

With much curiosity he opened it and, to his surprise no one was standing there. "Huh?" He stuck his head out of the door and looked out into the darkness. Upon looking left, he saw someone in pink creeping away. His eyebrows rose in skepticism of the situation, however there was only one person who fit the description of this figure. "Helga?"

Hearing her name from his mouth caused the young girl to halt in her track. Crap! She panicked, slowly turning her head around to confront him. "H-hey… Arnold!" She weakly called out to him, fully turning herself back to his direction.

Arnold walked outside and closed the door behind him. "What are you doing here this late? Did you forget something in my Grandpa's car?"

Helga managed to inch her hesitant body towards him, fiddling with her hands that were tucked behind her. "No. No I don't think I forgot anything…" She avoided revealing her true intentions.

Eyeing her, the young man stepped down off his stoop. It was clear that she was nervous about something but couldn't think of what. "Okay, so then what brings you by my place this late?"

"I just happened to be walking this way…" She lied with an innocent look. "It's a free country, Arnoldo I can walk this way if I want."

"And ring my doorbell?" He bluntly asked without sympathy.

"And I can ring whose ever doorbell I want too! Crimity!" She scowled in return.

An awkward silence surrounded them and as much as she hated to admit it, she wasn't going to get anywhere by backing out. "Maybe I just wanted to visit you." She squeaked out in a way he almost couldn't hear.

Arnold fortunately heard her, but was still surprised. "Do you want to come inside?" He offered, unsure of how to approach the situation.

Ignoring her awkward emotions, Helga managed to walk to his stoop and sit down. "No. Here is fine. Moon's out shining, crickets chirping, winds blowing…." She evaded, "I think here is fine."

Giving up, Arnold shrugged and sat besides the girl. The wind blew softly besides them both, while they sat in silence. He had no idea why she was here, or why she had decided to come at this hour of the night but what he did know was she was visibly uncomfortable and unable to bring up the reasons just yet. Calmly he let out a sigh and turned to her, causing her nerves to peak once more. "Is everything okay?" He asked, hoping to move things along.

"Yep, all's well here." She quickly responded. "You good?"

Arnold nodded, knowing this wasn't the direction to take. "Yes. We were actually just finishing dinner. Are you hungry? There is still some left over, I think."

"Nope, just had a nice big bowl of cereal so I'm pretty stuffed." Helga responded, sounding like she was in a rush of some sort.

Arnold was admittedly becoming a little impatient with her rouse. Although he was going to wait until the weekend to bring up his own concerns, he now figured this would be as good time as any. Mustering as much courage as he could, he proceeded to ask her the one thing that had been on his mind since that afternoon. "Do you want to go out somewhere this weekend?"

The question seemed completely out of the blue and caused Helga to sharply twist her head to look at the boy. She could see even though the darkness that his face was turning a bit red and he began nervously scratching the back of his neck. "What?" she asked in disbelief.

"You know…" He started as his voice trailed off, "Like a date?"

Helga stared at him blankly, still trying to process the question at hand. "You want to g-go out on a d-d-d-d-daaate with me?" She stuttered out as her heart began to race.

He was nervous. She was nervous. The whole situation was weird and now Arnold was beginning to regret his decision, as he had just finally resolved himself with letting her set the pace. "Y-you don't have to, if you don't want to!" He quickly shouted, turning to look at her better.

Helga's heart began to pound so hard she could feel it in her throat. This wasn't expected or what was supposed to happen. "A date? Like… a date, date?" She asked, trying to clarify as her voice turned high pitched.

Arnold nodded in response and could feel himself beginning to sweat as well as his pulse beginning to quicken. This was a lot harder than he hoped this would be.

Finally getting a hold of herself, Helga shook her head violently and stood up, trying to obtain ground. "Hold on." She started; her voice and body language returning to normal. "Like a real hands holding, strolling along the park like we have no care in the world, going out to eat in some fancy-shmancy restaurant type of date?"

The description she had for it made the heat turn to his face even quicker, but he stood up along with her and faced her properly. "Yes, something like that."

There he stood, in the dark of night; moonlight glistening in his corn flower hair and a face as red as the strawberries she was allergic to. His emerald eyes began to shimmer and pull her in closer.

Noticing her advancement, Arnold shyly looked down and took both her hands in his own. He could feel her palms beginning to sweat, just as they did back in the jungle before their inevitable kiss and he couldn't keep himself from smiling. "I know it might sound crazy, and maybe this is a little too fast for you but…" Arnold started as he squeezed her hands a little to hopefully convey his feelings. "I think we should go on an official date."

Helga noticed her knees beginning to weaken at his touch, as well as her hanging on his every word. His voice was soft and had a way of lulling her into a sense of complete bliss. "You mean, l-like a boyfriend-girlfriend type of thing? Just the two of us?"

Arnold nodded and squeezed her hand again, pleased that he had finally conveyed his intentions. "Yes!" He gleamed.

Collecting all her thoughts, feelings and concerns, Helga closed her eyes and focused a little. She remembered her whole goal in coming here and couldn't help but to begin giggling. Arnold tilted his head and opened his mouth to ask, but he before he could, she had began to full belly laugh.

"W-what? What is it?" He asked, fully confused on how the mood changed. "Was it something I said?"

Helga could feel pools of tears beginning to emerge from her eyes, as her laughter continued and she grasped the side of the stoop for support. Unable to make words, she shook her head in response.

"Then what is it?" Arnold asked again, now feeling less concerned and a little giddy himself in response to seeing her in such a state.

"Ohhhh!" Helga breathed out loud, clutching her side as twinge of pain began to sprout from her sides due to the laughing. "This is hilarious!"

"What is?" Arnold continued to ask as he sat himself besides her once more, hoping she would revile the big joke.

"Me!" she shouted suddenly. "You! This!" She continued to shout through her uncontainable laughter.

Still confused, Arnold patiently waited for her to calm down and finish.

Helga wiped her eyes from the little bits of expelled tears, and chuckled a little more before finally regaining a little composure. "I came here- No, Ran all the way down here to tell you that I didn't want to hide it anymore…" She explained.

"Hide what?" Arnold asked, a smile growing on his lips from the hope he had instilled in his heart.

She continued to breathe deeply in and out until finally and fully regaining herself again. "Us, Arnold." Helga finally answered. She could see he was opening his mouth to speak but she continued anyway. "I know I said I was scared, and don't get me wrong I still definitely am, but I realized something today after Gerald yelled at me in front of everyone. I realized that, as much as I can't stand him and his stupid hair sometimes, he was right about one thing."

"Which was…?" Arnold pried.

Her heart began to beat a little faster as anxiety began to grow within her chest. Here she was again, trying to be open and honest but her body was beginning to betray her. Regret and disappointment began to protrude from the depth of her soul and caused her once blissful smile, to slowly fade away. "That I wasn't treating you like I should because… I was afraid."

Her words seemed odd and Arnold was taken back a little. "What do you mean? You're treating me like you normally do in front of everyone."

Helga sighed sadly. "Yes, I know and that's sorta the problem. I know I'll never be able to fully be how I want to be around people because, let's face it, I'm a lost cause when it comes to taking down my barriers, but right now…" She explained as she looked down at his hands before grasping them herself, "You're doing something really nice for me and, instead of thanking you like I want to, I instead rant and rave about it like it's a-a bad thing."

"The project?" Arnold asked, feeling a little accomplished as he was able to hold her hand again but this time she had initiated.

"Y-yeah…" Helga closed her eyes again, pushing down all her negative emotions that were doing their unruly best to push forward. "A-arnold…"

"Yes?" He asked, rubbing one of her hands with his thumb in hopes of calming her nerves a bit.

"Thank you for caring about me." She said finally, although her voice still shaky. "I know that I made it seem like I didn't want your help, and at first I didn't but after you kept pushing in your stupid annoying little way, I realized how happy it made me that you wanted to do this for me." Helga opened her eyes again and saw his face: The face that haunted her dreams, the face that she yearned for daily, and the face that made everything in her life worthwhile so long as she could continue to look upon it.

He could see that she was doing her best and he was proud. "Of course I would want to help you, Helga. I'm just so happy to hear that you don't really hate the idea." He explained with excitement in his voice.

Now that, that was out of the way, Helga remembered his proposition from earlier. "So… about this date…" She started as she pondered all the possibilities "What did you have in mind? And you better not skimp out on me, Bucko! Because if we're gonna do this then it better be right."

Arnold began to relax at the sound of her normal voice and gazed at her with half lidded eyes. "I don't know, really. I figured I would let you decide what we would do." He shrugged. "It's up to you if you want the date to be private or in public since I don't want you to feel uncomfortable."

Oh, my love! Always worrying about me with his giant football shaped heart! Helga swooned inside. "Hmm…" Helga thought as she tipped her head back and looked up at the night's sky.

"We could see a movie, or go out to dinner?" Arnold suggested thoughtfully. "I don't have too much money but I'm sure my Grandpa would lend me some."

Helga began to consider how they both would look, sitting hand in hand at some expensive high end place. Jewels around her neck and him in a tie; sharing a bowl of cheese fondue and an assortment of random horderves to dip with. French waiters playing a violin around them as they feed each other… "Ohhh~" She swooned out loud un-expectantly before catching herself and blushing "Oh- That sounds like it could be a good idea. You know, if you like that sort of stuff."

Arnold tilted his head with a little confusion. "Or we could get some ice cream and walk around the park and just talk, if you want?"

Giving her more suggestions to work with only broadened her imagination. Scenes etched in her mind of them laughing with glee as they held hands and strolled along the park. Him in a dashing tuxedo and top hat and her in some long flowing pink gown and flowers in her hair. With bold excitement, he would lift her up by her waist and twirl her around in the air before bringing her down softly and touching noses. My darling! You're the only woman for me! He would say after drawing her closer. Yes my pet, do tell me more She would respond as she batted her eyes and looked away shyly. Dream Arnold nodded and continued As you wish, my Queen! Your eyes are like two sparkling blue sapphires that brighten up even the darkest nights! Your physique is womanly and always flattering in any form of clothes you shall choose. No one could compare themselves to your brains and beauty! You're my Helga… Helga…

"Helga?" Arnold called out to her, now definitely concerned with her glazed over expression. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, my love?" She called back in a passionate longing voice, still completely entranced in her own dream.

Blushing from her response, Arnold cleared his voice and looked away for a moment; gaining his own composure. This hadn't been the first time she had been in a dreamlike state in front of him but all those others times he hadn't fully grasped why. Now here she was, swooning and daydreaming to her heart's content while she sit on the stoop with his hands in hers. Unsure of how he should break her from her fantasies, and almost unsure if he even wanted to, Arnold knew it was best if they were going to continue the conversation. He let go of her hands and snapped his fingers in front of her. "Helga…" He called out again. "Helga!"

Her gaze broke, as Helga stumbled back into reality and nearly forgotten the whole conversation. "Huh?!" After looking at his reddened face and recalling her thoughts, Helga immediately knew what had just occurred and fought her instincts to become a deer in the headlights over it.  
"W-what?!" She screamed before crossing her arms in defiance.

Arnold giggled softly. "Nothing, don't worry about it." His face returned back to normal and he decided to continue on with the topic at hand. "Do you have any suggestions on where you'd like to go?"

"I-I don't care, Football head! Just decide for me or something!" She scowled.

"Well, what are some of your favorite places or things to do?" He asked, completely unfazed by her sudden aggression.

"I don't have favorite places or things to do." Helga replied snidely.

Unintentionally rolling his eyes at her remark, Arnold pressed on. "Oh come on, Helga. Of course you do. Everyone has favorite places and things to do." He suggested and waited for another smartalic remark but when one didn't come, he continued. "What about wrestling? I know you're fond of that."

His suggestion caused her eyebrow to rise and looked over at him in interest. "Y-yeah, I guess I am but it doesn't matter because the big match between Big Andrychowski and the Death Bringer isn't for another month and a half." The thought of Arnold being that attentive to her own likes, made her feel a little shy. When had he really begun to pay attention? Not that she really hid her like for Wrestle Mania or anything, and on a few occasions she and Harold even invited other classmates along with them to see the fights.

"Then there has to be other things as well…" Arnold pointed out as he did his best to recall other things he had seen her like or do in the past. Suddenly he remembered something and a large grin planted on his face "How about ice cream?" He asked.

"Ice cream?" Helga became confused. Sure they had gotten a milkshake together once when she was "blind" but that was her only recollection of an instance that he could have thought of.

"Yeah! I've heard you and Phoebe talk about you really liking ice cream in the past! You want to go to Slausen's?" He smiled, completely unaware of what he was actually saying to her.

The color began to drain from her face at hearing those words come out of his mouth. She partially wanted to scream but at the same time, wanted to go back into hysterical laughter. The whole point of their code "ice cream" was so others wouldn't have any idea that they were actually referring to her longtime obsession over Arnold, and as much as it wasn't a surprise that it worked, she was surprised that he had over heard some of their conversations about him.

Deciding to go along with the rouse, Helga smiled nervously. "S-sure, Football head… If that's what you want then whatever floats your boat… haha…" she said as she flipped her hair back and avoided his eyes.

"Then it's a date!" Arnold jumped up in delight, completely oblivious and taking her along with him. "How about we do this after that fashion shoot with that internet model that Rhonda was showing us?"

"Oh great…" Helga rolled her eyes. "I completely forgot about that. When was it, again?"

"Saturday," Arnold answered "And we need to finish writing our project by tomorrow if we're going to hand it in on time." He then looked worriedly up at his house and sighed. "I'd say we could do it right now but… It's getting kinda late and I'm sure my family is already worried about me being out here so long."

The thought of her having to leave her beloved and return back to that hellhole made Helga frown, but she also knew he was right. "Alright… Well then how about after school tomorrow, I come back here with you and we write that sucker up, deal?" She asked, deeply trying to conceal her real feelings.

"Yeah, sounds like a good plan. I originally had planned to play baseball with Gerald but I can push that off for a few days." The young man explained, beginning to feel the weight of realizing that she would have to leave soon. He then thought of an idea and held his finger up to her, "Hold on one moment Helga, I'll be right back." He said quickly and before giving her the option to reply, he dashed up the stoop and into his house, leaving the young blonde girl alone in her own thoughts.

The breeze blew again and caused her skin to grow thousands of goose bumps along side it. Helga had been glad she brought her light coat along with her for the trip. Slipping her arms through the cottony fabric, she could feel her skin returning to normal in seconds and her body began to warm up. The summer was at its end and soon autumns chilly arms were going to embrace their city and cause all the trees to begin to die and turn colors. This caused her to think about Halloween and what she could wear for Rhonda's inevitable costume party. Obviously this year she had no intention on dressing up as Lila, as she won Arnold over already. Maybe something horrifyingly gross? Like a decapitated housewife or something? She thought as she scuffed her shoes into the pavement below her. Looking down, she could see her bare legs being exposed and considered other options. Maybe something more flattering to make him notice me more… Like some 50's cocktail waitress or something? The thought was promising but Helga shook the idea out of her head. Nah, that kind of flashy really isn't my style..

Suddenly she heard the front door to Arnolds boarding house open up again, and he slowly creep back outside with his jacket on. "Okay, let's go." He said after he closed the door and ran down the steps. "I asked my parents if I could walk you home since it's so late."

Helga crossed her arms again and felt a little offended "You know I'm perfectly capable of walking home by myself, right?"

"Yeah I know but," His voice trailed off and reached her with a sudden stop. "Better safe than sorry, right?" He said shyly as he grabbed her hand. It seemed as though he was taking every opportunity possible to be close to her, which made her heart melt in her chest.

She recalled a similar conversation between them just a few days earlier and laughed. "Whatever you say, Arnoldo. Just don't try anything funny. Got that?" She said jokingly.

"Of course not." He mused at her comment. "After all, I have to maintain my gentlemanly status, right?"

They began walking down the road together, continuing their joke back and forth. It was difficult to believe that just a year before, maybe even two, that the possibility of them both behaving nicely in such a way was even manageable. The school year had just begun and yet so many new things were happening to Arnold left and right. It made him wonder what life would be like come the next few months. Even his birthday was coming soon. What would he do for it? Would they do anything together? Arnold began to feel warm at the thought and tightly grasped her hand with his, causing her to look down at him. They were nearing her building but letting her go didn't seem like much of an option for him at the moment. So many feelings, old and new made their way through his body and caused him to feel a little nervous, but in a good way.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst of this to herself, Helga was feeling calmer than normal. Their fun banter back and forth had ceased a few roads back and had just become pleasant silence between the two. Not even swooning came into mind for she was perfectly content once more. I wonder if this is how we'll remain… she wondered as he squeezed her hand.

There they were again, standing at the road in front of the entrance to her home. It was time for them to part, even though they both regretted it. Thoughts and excuses began to run through Helga's mind as she tried to come up with some reason for him to stay besides her longer, but to no avail. There was no way he could stay there with her. Although it was possible to sneak him into her room, it wouldn't be logical as his family was waiting patiently for the young boys return. Then that thought turned into more daring thoughts and Helga mentally kicked herself for it. Now's not the time for that! She scolded herself before turning to him and peering into his eyes.

"Guess it's time I go inside, huh" She asked both of them, fighting off her urges to stay longer.

"Yeah…" His voice sounded sad but he pushed it aside to remain as hopeful as ever. "But it's alright. We'll see each other tomorrow."

Helga knew it was true, but parting was always such sweet sorrow. Thinking back to their lovely performance of the school play, she couldn't help but feel all girly inside and smile. Being able to act how she truly felt inside, and in front of people no less, was exhilarating. Back then, she dreamed that Arnold would speak such loving words to her in real life but just to hear them in a play caused her whole body to melt. Could he ever truly love her so much? She knew she was very advanced for her age, Dr. Bliss had even said so, but hopefully, one day, Arnold could feel the same amount of passion for her as she did for him. On that note, Helga began to think back on to their earlier subject of the date and a question popped in her mind.

"Hey Arnold?" She asked quietly as she processed what she was about to say.

"Yeah?" He was surprised to hear her voice after such a long pause between them.

"I have a question, and don't look too deep into it because it's not all that big of a deal…" She began to ramble quickly, trying to beat her urge to stop "But it's a very important question, to me… that is…"

Arnold raised his eyebrow in confusion and smiled. "Of course. What is it?"

Crimson began to overrun her cheeks and she grabbed the sleeve of her coat and began to tug on it to avoid looking at him directly. She could feel his beautiful eyes were on her and were awaiting her question. "Can I…." she started but couldn't bear to finish.

Her odd behavior caused the young man to worry and he placed his hand on her shoulder, becoming even closer to her. "Can you what, Helga?" His voice was so innocent, so sweet and so addictive that she could feel her emotions threaten to explode from the inside out.

"Can I… be your girlfriend?" She fought valiantly out then exhaled in exhaustion.

The worry that had become incredibly tense on his heart had let go the moment she finished her sentence and Arnold smirked as a result. "Only if you want to be." He answered lovingly.

That was it. It was the final straw to break her of her solid composure and Helga could feel her head beginning to spin in absolute rapture. "Yes!" She shouted, causing him a little shock that he recovered quickly from. "Yes! Yes!" She continued to shout and he let go of her, allowing her to spin in place and him to giggle at the sight.

"I didn't realize that meant so much to you." He stated through his small giggles.

Helga halted and grabbed both his hands, staring at him dead in the face. "It means the whole world to me- No, The entire existence of creation!" She began to glow, fully allowing herself to express how she really felt.

"I-I'm happy you feel this way" He breathed out, letting his own worries vanish into pure bliss along with her. "I'll admit, I wasn't really sure how to ask you if you wanted to be so I'm really glad you-" But before he could finish, she let go of his hands and wrapped her arms tightly around his head and squeezed.

"Oh my adorable football head!" she cooed as she squeezed harder and began to block his airway with her chest.

"H-helga" He squeaked out, "too tight…"

"Oh." She then let go and laughed nervously. "Sorry about that."

Despite nearly getting suffocated, the moment they were sharing was like none other. There she was, glowing in a way he couldn't have imagined. It was far more than just her opening up; it was her allowing herself to be herself right in front of him. "It's okay…" He laughed. There had only been two times in the history of him knowing her that she had fully allowed herself to open up in such away, however this time had been the only time it didn't result in hysterics and aggressive behavior. This was the side of Helga he always wanted to see, even back then.

Feeling his eyes on her, and now becoming embarrassed that she just shoved her chest into his face, Helga knew it was time to go. "I'll just…" She started, as she pointed behind her and slowly walked backward. "I'll just be going now. See ya!" She shouted than turned around and ran towards the side of her building where the emergency exit was waiting.

"See ya, Helga…" He whispered back as he watched her form slowly disappear into the darkness surrounding Bob's Beepers. His feelings quelled into serenity as he stood in that spot a bit longer before finally turning around and heading home. Thoughts of her going home happy and having pleasant dreams flooded his mind and caused him to feel something new, something warmer than he had ever experienced before. It was love.


	7. Chapter 7

Friday morning came and went, as the friends all gathered in the same place and walked to school. Idle chit-chat commenced and even some shy glances from the new official couple as they went about the day from class to class. Even lunch time was seemingly normal without any real chaos, unless you count Harold nearly beating up Sid for "stealing" one of his sandwiches, which was then laughed about amongst them all for the rest of the day.

"Don't forget to tell your mom how much I liked the sandwich, Harold!" Sid laughed as him and the gang left the school.

The large older bully then groaned in annoyance. "Awwww, will you just shut up already?!" He bellowed out towards the shorter boy.

"What? I just want to make sure she knew how good they were!" Sid suggested as he began to speed up, knowing full well that all his taunts would do, would make Harold beat him up.

"Yeah Harold," Stinky agreed in his usual happy southern voice "Maybe you can get her to make me one too!"

"You guys…! You're seriously asking for it…!" Harold threatened, glaring at them both while they laughed in unison.

Their goal today had been to play some arcade games before separating to complete their own class projects before the due date tomorrow, however with them both taunting him since lunch, Harold didn't find it to be a good idea any longer.

"Come on Harold! We're just messin' with ya" Stinky smiled as he put his hands in his pants pocket, keeping up alongside the chubby boy.

"Yeah," Sid nodded, "And besides, I can just ask her to make me my own when I go over your house today."

Harold's face reddened with both rage and embarrassment as he balled up his fist and glared at the back of Sid's head, causing him to look back and see the hostile gaze. "Do it. I dare you…" Harold threatened.

"She'd probably make ya one too, on account of his mom being so nice n' all." Stinky smirked, purposely egging Harold on to further rage.

"THAT'S IT!" It had finally been the breaking point for Harold. With both fists clenched and ready for action, he began to charge at his two friends who immediately began to flee towards their destination, laughing as they ran.

It had only been a few blocks before the bigger kid ran out of steam and began to slow down, until letting the other two get away and resting his forearm against a building to catch his breath. Although they had noticed his halt, it did not change their motives and instead of waiting for him, they continued onward to the arcade without him.

Harold had always been a soft hearted boy at heart, however similar to Helga, always decided it was best to put up a big and angry front then to show it off to the world. He would huff and puff and blunder about, getting into fights and tussles with his friends, however in the end, they always remained his friends and considered it more of a play fight rather than a real one. He knew full well that Sid and Stinky cared about him, so he would always plan on getting back at them some other way in the end. He didn't really want to beat them up, but he also didn't like being made fun of for having a loving mother who always carefully packed his lunch with all his favorite things, and then a few extras.

With a frown, Harold turned and rested his back against the building and relaxed. "I'll get you guys back, just wait and see…" He huffed, feeling more frustrated than ever. But before he could fully regain his stamina, a man came bursting through the door next to him and waved his hands in anger.

"Hey!" He yelled, "Hey you! Get away from my shop you hoodlum!"

Harold looked at the man, a little confused and hurt. "What do you mean? I'm not doing nothing." He explained, unsure of what to do as speaking to grown-ups was never his strong suit.

"Can't you read the sign?!" He man asked angrily.

"What sign?!" Harold asked, now becoming frustrated again along with his confusion.

"This one, right here fatso!" He shop owner yelled again, pointing to a small note that had been glued to the shop window he had just had his back against.

Squinting his eyes, Harold brought his face up close to the sign to read it out loud. "No… So-solicitaaaating?"

The shop-keep rolled his eyes. "No! The one under that one!"

"Oh." Harold then looked to the next sign that had been directly under the other. "No Loitering….?"

The man nodded his head with pride. "Yes! Yes that one!"

Harold backed up and raised his eyebrow at the man. "What's that mean?"

With his mouth gaping open, the man angrily waved his arms around again. "It means don't stand around here in front of my store! It's bad for business to have kids like you making trouble for innocent customers. Don't they teach you anything in school?!"

Although Harold wanted to answer, the man ignored him and headed back inside with a loud bang following, causing Harold to angrily mumble to himself. He was used to being called names like fatso, fat boy, lard boy, pink boy, stupid, idiot and some other things he couldn't think of right now, most of them being called from one person but sometimes from strangers too. "Do I really look all that bad?" He wondered to himself as he put his hands in his pockets and sadly began to walk towards the arcade again. He turned to another shop's window and peered into the glass to see his reflection. He looked like he normally did, so what was the problem? What's it mean to be a hoodlum? He wondered. Was it because he was older than his friends? Was it because he was bigger? Why was everyone always picking on him, anyway? Many questions flooded his head and he continued on walking. Rabi always says "do unto others as you wish done unto you" but what does that mean? He asked himself silently. I didn't do anything to that guy so why did he have to be mean to me?! Harold then found an empty soda can and kicked it along the sidewalk.

"Stupid mean old man!" He yelled as it went flying, causing a sleeping cat nearby to become startled, cry and run off. "Oh… sorry." Harold called out to it, but it was already gone.

As he continued to walk and think, he heard something in the distance that caught his attention. It was a voice, a familiar voice. Tilting his head, he began to hurry up to the next intersection to see if he was who he thought it was.

"Move it, paste-for-brains! I ain't got all day!" the voice shouted from behind the building.

Is that…? Harold was almost sure he knew the voice but kept pressing onward towards it.

"Why are you in such a rush? We have all night." Another familiar voice replied.

"Yeah, well I'm not trying to spend it all being cooped up in some stupid boarding house with nut jobs, Football head!"

It is! Harold shouted in his mind as he finally got to the clearing to see his two classmates, Arnold and Helga standing at a walkway and waiting for the signal to turn. Maybe they wanna come to the arcade too? He thought, slowly marching in their direction.

Arnold frowned. "Helga…"

"What?!" She shrieked, throwing her hands in the air in dramatics and tapping her foot impatiently.

With a half lidded gaze and a small smile, the odd headed boy offered out his hand. "You do realize how far from school we are, right? You don't have to keep acting."

"A-a-acting?!" Helga asked, turning her head from him stubbornly. "I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Uh huh…" He signed with defeat, continuing to offer his hand to her. "Do you want it or not?"

Helga blushed a little before looking around frantically, then looking back at the boy. Her heart began to pound as they were much closer to civilization then she'd like but also knew that she promised him that she would begin trying to "practice" their show of affection in public in hopes of getting rid of her fears. With a trembling heart, she willingly took the welcoming hand and sighed happily, allowing all the nerves in her body to melt the moment his heat collided with her own. After a second to absorb her bliss, Helga gave him a small scowl and he laughed. "Shut up and let's just go…" she said with a worried tone.

"Okay." Arnold agreed happily as the signal turned to walk and they disappeared into the mass of people.

Harold stood bewildered with his mouth nearly touching the floor at the scene he had just witnessed. "Was that…?" He started, still trying to wrap his mind around it all. "Arnold and Helga?" but then it finally hit him that his eyes were not playing games. "And were they… HOLDING HANDS?!"

Instantly, his feet began to hit the pavement with haste as he raced to the arcade. "I have to tell the guys!" he shouted eagerly, "They're never gonna believe this!"

"I reckon you got the long straw there, Sid." Sticky suggested as he quickly tapped the buttons on his machine, causing a pixelated man to shoot tiny bullets at a few bad guys.

"Why do you say that?" Sid asked alongside his southern friend, mashing his own buttons.

"You get to hang out with Harold and eat wholesome meals at his place while my partner barely even says two words to me…" The tall boy frowned as the bad guys took away his remaining life and a large Game Over screen played.

"Ohhhh yeah!" Sid smiled devilishly, glancing over at his sullen friend quickly before returning to his own game. "I forgot that Brainy was your partner. What's it like at his place?"

Stinky grimaced and began to watch the stringy haired boy thrash about his joystick. "Weird." Was all he could say in response.

Sid laughed. "Boy howdy, I'm kicking major butt! I think this is the farthest I've ever gotten in Roboman 6000!"

But just before he could reach the final boss, Sid and Sticky were startled by a loud bang of the door, causing him to lose focus and the boss to jump on him repeatedly, losing his game.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Sid cried as he put his hands on the screen and slowly slid them down.

"Not so good anymore, are ya now?" Stinky laughed loudly, causing his small friend to give him a mean scowl before turning to see where the noise came from. There stood Harold, panting like a mad man in the doors entrance, barely able to breathe or stand. Others turned their concern on him, however did not make any motion to help.

"What happened?" Stinky asked his tired friend from afar.

"What happened is he just made me lose my game!" Sid shouted, followed by a few whimpers as he looked over at his own Game Over screen.

"Guys…" Harold panted out, slowly stepping towards them. "You… gotta… see… this…"

"Why? What did ya see?" Stinky asked, now a little interested in what the chubby kid had to say.

Sid grumbled to himself before finally giving up and accepting his lose. "It better be good because you just made me lose the game of the century!"

Harold made his way up to them both and grabbed on to Sid's arcade machine, using it to rest on and continued to catch his breath.

Now feeling a little concerned, Sticky placed his hand on his friends shoulder and made an unsure chuckle. "Is the jolly-olly man gone mad again and handin' out free Mr. Fudgy's or somethin'?"

"It's… I saw…" He continued to pant.

"Spit it out for cripes sake!" Sid cried in anticipation.

With a large breath, Harold took all of what he saw in and finally blurted it out for the whole arcade to hear. "Arnold and Helga were holding hands!"

The two friend's eyes turned wide in shock and they looked at each other before turning back to their still tuckered out friend.

"You mean she was yanking him around or something, right?" Sid asked, still in denial.

"No!" Harold shouted. "Like lovey-dovey all kissy like!"

"No way, Harold" Stinky shook his head in disbelief, "Your jus' pullin' our legs on account of we were makin' fun of you earlier."

"Yeah." Sid laughed, "No way in a million years would happen. I mean, hell would freeze over or something."

Stinky laughed along with him and nodded in agreement. "Those two go together like angry old cat and a starving mutt!"

"Guys I'm serious!" Harold finally had regained his life and now stood firmly in front of them, his fists on his hip. "They were on their way to his house or something! I heard them!"

The two boys glanced at each other again, this time a little more than concerned.

"I mean, it was kinda strange that they chose each other as partners for the assignment…" Stinky said as he scratched the back of his head in confusion.

"Yeah but that was probably because they were the only two kids left without a partner." Sid suggested, "It's happened before."

"I dunno, Sid. I didn't exactly choose Brainy to be my partner. I'm pretty sure that we were the last picks of the class…" Stinky frowned, remembering his tough luck.

"Would you guys just shut up and let's go already!" Harold whined, looking towards the door as another kid came in and paid the worker for some quarters. "I'll show you I'm not just making it up!"

The duo all nodded to each other before finally giving in and following Harold out of the arcade.

Up inside the furnished attic of the Sunset Arms, Arnold and Helga continued to finish their project on re-establishing Big Bobs Beepers. Helga cut out some pictures and glued them on a poster board, while Arnold remained at his computer, typing up their script along with the essay to attach to the presentation. About an hour had passed since they had arrived at Arnold's house, and only a few times they had been interrupted by his parents and grandparents, bringing them refreshments and checking up on their progress.

Arnold took a sip of his lemonade and finished writing the conclusion of the essay, before turning around to see Helga's progress. "How's the poster coming along?" He asked cheerfully.

Helga huffed in response and shoved a glue slopped picture on the snow white board. "Just swimmingly…" she growled.

Although they had finally come into agreement that he would write the essay and she would build the project, it wasn't exactly what she wanted and Arnold was very aware. During the argument of the assigned tasks, he recalled many projects that he was forced to work alongside her and remembered that he was always stuck doing the arts and crafts portion while she wrote the essay and had decided this time would be different.

"Fair is fair, Helga…" He stated, a little proud of himself winning against her for the first time.

"Yeah well this is the last time I'm doing a stupid project with you, Bucko!" She yelled as she grabbed her big black permanent marker and began to write the heading in big bold letters. It was a hollow threat, and they both knew it but Helga was a sore loser. No one had ever really dared to face her in an argument and the few times they tried, it only ended up in them becoming humiliated in some way.

Arnold watched, full of pride, as she tried to be as neat and precise as possible, and continued to sip his drink. "Whatever you say, Helga." He smiled.

Suddenly there was another knock on his door. Arnold unconsciously rolled his eyes and got up, not wanting to disturb Helga further from her obligation. He opened the door to find his dad standing there with a large warm smile on his face.

"Hey there slugger, how's the project coming along?" Asked Miles as he peered around his son to see if he could gaze upon the poster he knew they were making.

Feeling a little awkward, as this had been now the third time in an hour that they had been interrupted, Arnold gently pushed his father out of the way a little onto the stairs and closed the bedroom door behind him. "It's going great, Dad. "Arnold smiled back with a little exhaustion, "What's up?"

Miles gave an unenthused shrug "Not much. Your mother just went out to buy groceries for dinner tonight, your grandpa is playing checkers with Oskar and your grandma is out hunting Siberian tigers." He explained a little loneliness in his voice. "And I was starting to miss you."

Arnold could feel guilt bubbling up in his chest and he frowned. With all that had now been going on between him and Helga, he hadn't hung out with his parents in a while and was beginning to feel bad. "I'm sorry…" Arnold said as he slowly walked down his stairway; his dad in tow. "I didn't mean to shut you out or anything. We're just doing school work."

"I know, I know." Miles called out from behind him. "But hey, how about when you guys are done, we have a little father-son time. Whatcha say?"

Arnold turned around and saw the cheesy grin on his father's face and couldn't help but smile back. "Sure dad." He nodded, "But just promise me one little thing, okay?"

Miles eyes became filled with wonderment as he anticipated his son's next sentence. "Sure! What is it, Son?"

The words he was about to say were probably one of the last he ever thought of having to say to his parents. He had thought long and hard about them after the first time they were interrupted and decided it was probably best to be open and honest with them, like he had always been with his grandparents, however seeing the hope in his father's face only made Arnold feel worse about what he was about to say. "Just promise that Helga and I can finish our school project in peace… okay?"

The joy from his father's eyes slowly disappeared and he hung his head sadly. "Oh… Okay. No problem." He said disheartened.

Arnold felt his heart drop to the floor as he saw how sad his words made the man; however he also knew he couldn't falter from his decision. "Thanks, Dad and I promise that right after she goes home, I'll hang out with you for the rest of the night! Deal?" He begged, hoping that his dad would feel a little happier.

Words from his wife and father rang thought Miles ear. "Leave the boy alone! He'll come to you when he's ready…/ Dear just be patient… give him some time to come around on his own…" and he knew that they were right. Gathering what hope he had left of the situation, Miles put on a fake smile and lifted his head happily. "You got it, partner!" He shined, before promptly turning around and heading down to the main floor, leaving Arnold to stand there awkwardly.

Shaking off what he had left of the scene, Arnold raced back upstairs and opened and closed the door behind him, causing Helga to jump a little from the sudden slam.

"Crimity!" She shouted. "Don't sneak up on me like that!" She said as she grasped her heart like she was about to have a Coronary.

"Ah, Sorry!" Arnold said shyly, as he scratched the back of his head before realizing something a little important. "I… seem to be saying that a lot today, actually."

With a note of suspicion, Helga looked up at him and analyzed his state with her eyes. "Why? Breaking a lot of hearts or something?"

Her words hit him dead on and a wave of guilt came crashing back over. "No… Not intentionally, anyway." He said as he made his way over to his bed and sat down in front of her.

Helga looked at her poster on the floor and decided that it was probably all done by now, as she had no more things to glue on and there was only so much glitter and crayons that would make it visually appealing, and stood up to sit next to him. "Come on, what did you say to the poor fool?" She insisted as she crossed her legs.

Wondering if this how it felt when he pried into her life, Arnold straightened himself up and felt a little defensive. "Nothing that bad! Just that…" His voice trailed off as he decided on a few choice words to finish with "I didn't want us to be distracted from our project too much."

"So in other words," Helga sighed "You told him to buzz off, am I right?"

Arnold raised his eyebrows in surprise at how attentive she was but also how she seemed to be trying to console him in her own way. "Well not in so many words…" He explained, trying to excuse his own actions.

The irony of the situation made Helga laugh and shake her head. "Oh boy."

"What?" Arnold asked, now feeling like he was about to be put to trial.

"Oh nothing, nothing at all…" Helga said with amusement, giving him a side glance.

"Helga!" Arnold insisted, "What is it?"

Shaking her head again, Helga got up and picked up the decorative poster, laid it on the bed next to him and began to brush off the little bits of glitter that had fallen on her pink ombre dress. "I just kinda find it funny how you finally have parents and now you're beginning to see why none of us normal kids want ours around." She explained as she paced back in forth in front of him.

He now definitely felt like he was being put on trial. "That's not true! I want them around I just-"

"Just don't want them nosing around into your business?" She suggested in an ironic tone. "Poking their heads in to make sure we're not doing anything funny? Asking if we need anything?" Helga snorted and stopped in her tracts. "Just face it; you know how us regular kids feel now. Invaded."

Arnold began to feel a bit misunderstood and annoyed, and stood up to argue back. "That's not true either! I don't feel invaded! I just figured we could finish this faster without interruption." He tried to justify.

"Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night, Football head." She shrugged with a smirk.

Her accusations and insensitive remarks were now beginning to hurt the boy's feelings. He never meant to hurt his dad or feel ungrateful for him being in his life. Never once did he regret them coming back and now, with them finally back, he felt whole again! "What do you know? You never want your parents around because they don't even try to be! Mine at least try and care!"

After spitting out those sour words, Arnold watched as Helga's expression changed from amusement to cold and she began to gather her belongings. "I-I'm sorry!" He cried out regrettably however she didn't even stop to look at him before walking out. Arnold knew he had to do something, say something; so he began to chase after her. "Helga, wait!" He called out but she continued. This was the second time she was now leaving his house not feeling very happy.

Arnold raced down his stairs in hot pursuit of her. "Helga! Stop!" He said, finally catching up to her at his front door. He held it shut with one hand and continued to plead. "I wasn't thinking! I wasn't-"but before he could finish his sentence, she turned to look at him with a complex expression that he couldn't begin to understand.

"No. You weren't." She replied sinisterly calm. "And now I'm leaving." Helga turned back to the door and placed her hand on the knob, causing him to step back cautiously as their air around her didn't seem safe.

Words of remorse choked in the boy's throat as he watched her open the door in front of him. He knew there was nothing he could say to stop her at this point, and much to his dismay, he knew he deserved it. Many times in his life his Grandpa hard warned him not to fight fire with fire and especially when it came to dealing with Helga Pataki. Now, he was starting to understand why.

Helga, shaken on the inside and slowly rebuilding the walls she had so carefully taken down over the last few days, walked outside and took a slow breath of fresh air. She could sense that he wasn't following her and she wasn't even sure if that mattered. After she took her last step off his stoop, her contemplation was interrupted by a loud boisterous voice behind her.

"Oh look! It's Helga G. Pataki and her stupid pink bow!" Harold taunted with his hands on top of his hat, trying to imitate her bow.

"Whatcha doing in Arnold's house, Helga?" Sid asked in amusement, "Making out?"

Before Stinky could open his mouth and say the comment he had prepared, he saw the look of death and destruction that crossed her eyes as she looked their way. "Fellas… I don't think-"but the warning was too late.

"There's no use denying it, Helga! I saw you two holding hands!" Harold continued to taunt, completely unaware of her murderous intent as she turned to walk towards him. "You Love Arnold! Ahahahaha!" He laughed.

She then quickly locked eyes with Sid, who also cautiously walked back to where Stinky was standing. "Uhhh… Harold, I think we should go…" He warned from afar.

"Huh? Why you guys? I thought we were gonna-"But before he could finish his sentence, Helga slammed her fist into his face, causing him to fall on his backend.

Arnold watched in horror as she continued to pummel the larger kid into the cement. "Helga! Stop!" He shouted as he concentrated his efforts into jumping off his stoop and trying to get her off of him. "It's not worth it!"

The duo could only stare in horror before fleeing for their own lives, knowing that they would soon be next. "Sorry Harold!" Stinky shouted as he ran.

"Don't die on us, buddy!" Shouted Sid as he followed close behind his taller companion.

Harold continued to cry and block her punches, but most of his efforts were in vain as her shots seemed mostly dead on.

Arnold grabbed both of her arms to get her to stop. "Please!" He yelled, causing her to stall a moment. He could feel all the sadness inside him rush up front and he fought it back as hard as he could. As much as he didn't want to blame himself for the situation, he knew that it was mostly his fault. "Don't take it out on Harold, Helga! It's my fault!" He pleaded again. "Hit me if you want to hit someone!"

"Yeah! Hit Arnold!" Harold agreed as he tried to wiggle himself out from under her but failing.

Arnold quietly waited for an answer but when he saw he wasn't going to get one, he continued. "What I said back there was wrong. I shouldn't have said that your parents don't care! They do and you know it too!" He hoped and prayed that his words would get through to her. "I shouldn't have compared mine to yours. It was insensitive and stupid of me!" He could feel her resistance against him begin to fade and Arnold began to feel a like maybe his words weren't all for naught. "Please Helga, if you're listening at all…" He could feel himself beginning to break and his voice began to crack. "Don't do this."

Within her rampage, Helga had listened to every word he had said. She knew what she was doing wasn't the answer, and didn't care. But as he continued his apology, she could also tell that she was now intentionally hurting the one she loved; and that wasn't Harold Berman. At his final words, she could feel his grip loosen and she broke her arms away from him. Quietly she stood up and dusted herself off, making no attempt to look at the sad boy standing next to her. As time moved forward around them, all of Arnold's family, boarders and neighbors began to emerge from their dwellings to see what had just gone down as his shouting was definitely out of the norm.

"Thank you…" He breathed out reluctantly as he slowly watched her leave Harold beaten on the ground.

Helga stopped in her tracts, "It wasn't for you." Were the only words that came out of her mouth before she continued to walk down the road until vanishing.

The adults around them exchanged looks of concern, confusion and bewilderment before going over to the two boys and asking if they were alright. Clearly Harold was not, and Mr. Green picked the boy up and helped him walk into his butcher shop to help clean him up, leaving Arnold to have to answer all the questions being asked by everyone.

"Make room everyone!" Phil yelled from behind the crowd of worried adults. "Let the boy breathe! How do you expect him to explain anything if you're all crowded around him like that?" He had finally pushed his way through, with his incredibly worried son hot on his heels. Secretly, Phil had heard some of the argument from the two of them before all hell broke loose from inside the bathroom; however that wasn't going to be mentioned.

"Arnold!" Miles patiently breathed out, placing his hands on his son's shoulders and facing him. "What happened? Why did she beat up that kid?"

"Beat up?" Phil piped up, "That's nothing compared to what some of the older kids do around here. He should consider himself lucky…"

"Dad?" Miles was now even further concerned.

Arnold couldn't stand to look at any of them in the face and just continue to trace the pavement with his eyes, hardening his emotions once more. "It's all my fault…" He replied quietly, causing both of his elders to turn back to him.

"I'm sure that's not true…" Miles coaxed, slowly rubbing his shoulders in a comforting way.

"Yeah! Your little blonde friend is always beating up people! I'm sure it wasn't something you did, Arnold." Phil added, rubbing the top of his bald head and looking towards Green Meats.

"But it is!" Arnold spoke louder, feeling the pain in his chest spread. "I did the one thing you told me not to do, Grandpa." He then looked up past his dad and into his grandfather's eyes, trying to convey the memory.

"Oh no, you went with you bad instincts again, eh?" Phil sympathized as he began to shoo away the onlookers.

"Bad instincts?" Miles asked, now feeling completely out of the loop. "What do you mean, dad?"

Heaving a heavy exhausted sigh, Phil touched his son's back and signaled him to follow. "Come on… we got a lot of talking to do inside without the peanut gallery!" He finished, glaring at the few boarders still peaking their heads out of the window, causing them to quickly go back inside.

"I'm sorry, dad…" Arnold whispered, barely audible for Miles to hear.

"It's alright, Arnold." He replied, slowly ushering his son to follow his grandpa as he stood in the doorway waiting. "I knew there were something's I needed to catch up on but I didn't think I'd find out this way…"

The walk from Arnold's house quickly became dark as the skies that loomed over the city turned dark with rain clouds, as Helga slowly walked in a miscellaneous. Her brain unsettlingly quiet and calm as her heart continued to pound in pain. Where was she going? It didn't matter. Nothing mattered at that moment as she couldn't even think of anywhere to go. All roads seemed to look alike and her feet just seemed to know which direction they wanted to go in, so her body followed. The news hadn't reported that today would be rain; however it almost seemed appropriate anyway. It was Helga's luck to have the universe feel the same way she did. Sad, cold, alone, forlorn, and forsaken; just to name a few. Helga could hear rumbles of thunder in the distance and could sense the uneasiness in the air surrounding her; the storm was close behind her. Mothers escorted their children inside their houses and called to their friends to go home before the rain started. "What's a little rain, anyway? Will it wash away the pain? The sorrow? The unending agony that seemed to pierce through my very being? If not, then what good is it? Rain is supposed to cleanse the earth and wash away any waste and debris that would do harm, right? So why wasn't it the same for me?" Helga's poetic heart began to sing as she continued to hear more thunder in the distance. "What good is rain or a heart, for that matter?" She then looked up at the darkening clouds overhead and began to reflect of her past, her family, her friends and then of course, her beloved. "They say that pain is what makes you stronger and that you cannot fully experience love without it, but what good is that either when everything I try to ends up like this?" She asked sorrowfully as her feet came to a halt at the feel of a single raindrop hitting her soft pale skin.

The past few days had probably been some of the best in her entire life. The feelings of love and acceptance were all the girl ever wanted to feel, but just when there was such a clear blinding light at the end of her dark ominous tunnel, of course the hole had to be covered in with dirt just to keep the exit away longer. "Is there really an escape from all this? Or is every positive thing that happens to me just there as a tease to remind me that gold will never stay?!" She called out to the sky as a few more rain drops splashed against her face. Helga then looked around to notice that she was now the sole person left on the street, as everyone else had already ran inside to take cover from the weather.

After continuing down her path a few more blocks, the girl realized where her feet had taken her. Just up ahead was Phoebe's house. "So this is where I was going?" She asked herself as she stood in front of the door. As she rapped on it lightly, a sharp sting suddenly resonated through her hand and up through her arm and shoulder. Helga hissed in pain as she softly cradled her pulsating hand; awaiting a response from the door. Without much delay, it opened to reveal a surprised Phoebe at the other end.

"Helga?!" The small girl cried out in shock, seeing as her best friend had just shown up, unannounced and drenched from head to toe in rain.

"Hey Pheebs," Helga responded dully, as if all was normal in her world. "Can I, uh, come in?"

The question had been so ridiculous that Phoebe brought it upon herself to grab and drag her inside forcefully. "What happened?" Phoebe asked as she quickly grabbed a towel from a nearby bathroom to drape over her wet friend.

Helga shrugged weakly and pulled the towel around her tighter; basking in its fully warm texture. "Not much." She lied.

Regardless of what Helga answered, Phoebe knew that it couldn't possibly be the truth. Shaking her head in frustration, she grabbed her friend once more and quickly brought her up to her bedroom knowing full well that in order for Helga to spill the beans, she would have to be in a closed off, private space that she felt comfortable in.

"Phoebe? Who was at the door?" Her mother's voice had called out from another room.

"Just Helga, Mother!" Phoebe replied as she waited a moment for a possible response, and then quickly shut her bedroom door to start the examination. Once she turned around, she gazed over at Helga who seemed to be in a blank state. "Helga, why did you just walk over here in the rain?" She asked softly, "You know that my parents would have picked you up if you'd have just asked."

With a shrug of nonchalance, Helga looked around her friends' tidy room aimlessly. "No reason." She replied plainly.

Taking Helga's hand firmly, Phoebe walked her over to her bed and had the still sopping wet girl sit down. "We both know that can't possibly be true. Weren't you supposed to finish Mr. Simmon's report today with Arnold?"

"Arnold?" Helga repeated naively, as she could feel her calm state begin to break as tears formed in her eyes.

Phoebe's eyes shot wide open as her best friend began to crumble before her eyes and without warning, Helga threw herself at her best friend and buried her face in her tiny chest and began to wail loudly. Gasping from the sudden impact, Phoebe waited patiently for Helga to talk about it freely on her own; slowly rubbing her back for support.

Time passed by slowly, as Helga eventually regained her composure and decided it was finally time to talk. Phoebe quietly handed her a box of tissues to clear herself up with, and continued to remain quiet and patient. Suddenly Helga stood up, and walked over to Phoebe's window and drew open the curtains to reveal the storm outside and Phoebe followed in interest.

"Phoebe," She finally spoke; with a voice still broken. "Have you ever felt like maybe you're dying and that all the happiness you experience is just to slowly comfort you before your inevitable death? You know like when people's' lives flash before their eyes as they're in a dismal situation?"

The question was concerning but Phoebe knew her well enough to know that she was just being over dramatic. "No, I have never felt like that." She shook her head, "Do you feel like that, Helga?"

The tall blonde nodded solemnly as she continued to peer out into the storm. "At least I feel like that today." Her words broke for a sigh, "Like my whole life is being swallowed up in a dark abyss and while I try to grab onto things to pull myself out, they just fall in with me…" Helga then turned back around to face her friend with a grim face. "Can I stay the night? I really don't feel like going home."

Phoebe nodded. "Of course, Helga. You always know that you're welcome here whenever you need. I'll just have to inform my parents. Do you want to call home?" She suggested as she picked up her wireless home phone and brought it over.

After taking it and looking it over for a second, Helga set it down next to her. "I'll call Miriam later. She's probably asleep now anyway."

Phoebe understood and sat down on the floor in front of her companion and softly patted it in indication for Helga to join her. "Let's talk."

Helga looked at the gesture then gradually obeyed, sitting in front of the open window. "Okay…" She sighed sadly, bringing her knees up to her chest. Weaving her story from start to finish, Helga left no detail out; from the brilliant start to the cataclysmic finish and all Phoebe could do was listen in horror. "And that's when I wound up here…" She breathed for a moment. "Weird, right?"

Phoebe had just finished digesting the story and shook her head in remorse. "No… I'm flattered that you would naturally bring yourself here, as opposed to going elsewhere." She then recalled the last bit of the story regarding their hefty friend. "And just how bad did you beat him up?"

"Not any worse than I've done before. "Helga answered, rolling her eyes and slouching with her back up against the cold glass. "He'll make it."

"That maybe so…" Phoebe started as she leaned forward to get a better look into her friends face, "However you know you'll just be reprimanded from it tomorrow at school, right? This won't bode well with your father, Helga."

"Since when does he care, Pheebs?" Helga huffed and crossed her arms. "Oh no! Another blemish on the Pataki name!" She spat, "Not like I'm the golden child anyway…."

"Still, do well to think up the apology you'll say tomorrow so you won't be in bigger trouble than necessary." The young black haired girl suggested inquisitively. "Suspension won't be good for either of you." Although beating up Harold was probably the worst part of the prior situation, Phoebe gingerly moved on to the next topic. "What will you say to Arnold tomorrow?"

The subject made Helga's face turn down again, as she fumbled a little. "I dunno… I haven't really thought that far ahead. I know that he didn't mean what he said and that I pretty much egged him on with suggesting that he didn't want his parents around but," she paused briefly before continuing "It still hurt, Phoebe." She finished quietly.

"I absolutely agree." Phoebe nodded, placing her hand on her friend's ankle; causing her to look up. "It's strange to hear Arnold doing something so brash, however given the topic at hand… I can't say that I'm completely surprised either. Cruel words were said on both ends."

"Yeah… Leave it to me to mess up the best thing in my life and only on the first official day!" Helga gave out a small chuckle before returning to her melancholy. "I suck."

"Don't say that." Her best friend coached with a smile, "Fights are always bound to happen… especially between you two."

"Always a silver lining, eh Pheebs?" Helga smiled. "You're beginning to sound like him now."

Phoebe gave a fake offended look and a small huff. "I'd like to think that I tend to look at things positively as well!" she stated, causing Helga to smile a bit more. "Are you feeling a little better now?"

Giving a small stretch, Helga glanced around to find the small handheld phone and rested it in her hand. "Yeah, I guess. I still don't want to go back home though, that's the last place I want to be right now."

"I suppose you'll be phoning your parents then?" The small girl asked. When Helga nodded in response, Phoebe gradually picked herself up and brushed off her nicely pressed shirt. "Alright then, I'll inform Mother and Father of your stay. Be right back!" She explained before exiting the room and leaving the down and out girl by herself.

Looking over the phone again, Helga had noticed it was a newer model then last time. It was sleeker with smaller buttons and no antenna to be found. I guess her dad finally got that raise he was hoping for, Helga thought as she pressed the on button and called her mom.

The phone rang and rang, then rang some more before Helga got fed up, hung up and proceeded to call again. Her mom was probably asleep, as expected, and figured the more it rang; the faster it would be for her to awake from her drunken slumber. After about 3 more tries, her mother finally picked up the phone and Helga made up some excuse to why she needed to stay over Phoebe's tonight. Little concern came from her mother's dazed end, and she agreed to tell Bob before hanging up and letting Helga sit in her silence. Since they had moved out of their house, Miriam had gotten worse just as Bob had, but for a different reason. As Bob had gotten angrier and more stubborn to the lack of money and business; Miriam had become far more depressed than normal, however it wasn't about the money or the business, it was about losing the house. It had been Bob's present to her upon hearing of her pregnancy and even let Miriam pick out the house herself. It was truly hers… and it had been lost. Having only the old run down couch to sleep on, and a small dresser of clothes left to her name, Miriam had drunk herself into almost a comatose state more nights since the move than Helga could count in her whole life time. If only Olga would come home more often, maybe then her mother would straighten up a bit, however even she wasn't enough to get her to quit the smoothies that easy. Countless arguments had ensured, followed by strong presentations of how it would benefit the family if Miriam quit; both from money and a stronger loving connection between them all, ending with cries and pleads from Olga for Miriam to bring that the Mommy she once had. Only then Miriam would step away from the blender, at least until Olga left on another save the children mission.

The sound of Phoebe returning broke Helga from her dreary thoughts and she handed the phone back to its owner. "What did they say?"

"Mother and Father are always pleased to have you stay over, Helga. They wanted me to let you know that we'll be having grilled chicken with steamed bok choy and carrots for dinner tonight." Phoebe pleasantly explained, sitting back down on the floor in front of her friend. "How did the call with your parents go?"

"Oh you know, same ol' same ol'" Helga started with a twirl of her finger. "Miriam didn't seem to mind, not that she was awake for most of the call anyway, and told me that she'd let Bob know when he returns. I guess he must have gone out or something." Helga explained.

Phoebe frowned at the story, but knew there was no use talking about it. Only the woman could save herself. Deciding it was best to change the subject to something more cheerful; Phoebe decided to let Helga know about her and Gerald's exciting project, explaining where, why and how it would benefit the city just like if she was presenting in front of their class already. Her eagerness to succeed always made Helga smile as nothing could ever change her best friend.

The rest of the night went by relatively smoothly, as the two best friends occupied their time in pleasant and constructive ways as to not let Helga fall back into her own self loathing, and soon morning had come for the rest of Hillwood. The sun rose in the sky as if it was just a regular normal day, birds chirped and children laughed and played on their way to school; the world none the wisest to the toil of the day prior. As Helga and Phoebe made their way to the school, unaccompanied by their male companions, the blonde breathed in the fresh air deeply and did her best to remove all sense of uneasiness that definitely still lingered. "You'll be fine." Phoebe had told her that morning, while getting Helga's freshly washed clothes out of her dryer "The day will fly by before you know it!" and Helga reflected on those words, even if they were cruel in their own way. Despite the world continuing to turn as usual, her world just still wasn't spinning its usual spin. If anything, it seemed to halt every now and again when she thought Arnold. How would he look at her? How would she speak to him? Did he hate her now? Was everything completely ruined at just a few swings of a fist? She wasn't sure and it only made her world rockier by the moment.


	8. Chapter 8

The talk between Arnold and his family went about as well as could be expected. Phil went on to explain in great detail about the kids in Arnold's class and just how they played. This included Wolfgang and the older kids, along with Harold and Helga's bullying tactics. The two parents had looked at each other in confusion and asked just how kids could stay being friends with those who hurt and belittled them? The answer was quite simple to Phil: Kids will be Kids. Although the children that Miles had grown up with were quiet and attentive, it was very different for both Phil and Arnold's generation. After he quelled the storm that had brewed within the large household, Phil then brought young Arnold aside to have his own one on one talk about his bad instincts.

"Look Arnold," Phil started as he sat at the edge of his young grandson's bed, just as he was about to finally get some rest, "I didn't want the others to know this, because you know how they can be but, I did happen to overhear the argument between the two of you while I was in the lou." Arnold gave a shocked expression but Phil raised his hand to silence him so he could continue. "I heard what she said and I heard what you said. It seems to be that the both of you deserve to apologize to one another."

"But that's just it, Grandpa. I tried to apologize to her but she just left and- and you saw what happened." Arnold explained sadly as he shuffled his feet under the blanket.

"I know, I know but sometimes you gotta wait for someone to cool down on their own. You were upset and she was upset and no one can listen to another person if they're head in clouded in anger and resentment, Short man." The elderly man explained softly as he watched the poor boy give him a sad look. "Now cheer up! Tomorrow is another day and you can come up with a way to make your little angry friend less mad at you." Phil then stood up and headed towards his bedroom door. "If anyone can do it; you can, Arnold."

The encouragement made him smile a little before nodding to his grandpa. "Thanks Grandpa." He replied as he watched the older man leave the room. His words were indeed insightful but it seemed no matter what advice people gave, his guilt still seemed to eat away at him.

Arnold turned off his bedroom light and stared up into the sky above. The moon was very bright and most of the rainclouds had cleared, leaving a sparkling sky to watch over him while he thought. Just what would he say to her, exactly? All of the apologizes he could think of just didn't seem to be enough. Helga had finally opened up to him in a way he never imagined and he repaid her by using her own insecurities against her. "I wonder if she hates me now." He wondered as he tossed and turned in his bed, now staring at his bedroom door. He re-imagined the scene of their argument and her immediately bolting out his door, and then sighed. He knew letting his guilt eat him awake wasn't going to do him any good so he proceeded to try and think happy thoughts; thoughts of a better tomorrow. Tomorrow he would think of something to say to her and make things right again. They had their presentation tomorrow after all, so it would have to be before school started, right?

"You did what?!" Gerald hollered in amazement as him and his best friend walked to school.

"I know!" Arnold yelled back, a heavy frown plastered on his face. "I know… It was wrong."

"Well yeah but that's not what I can't believe." Gerald continued as they looked towards the school they were nearing. "I just can't believe you had the nerve to say something like that to her! I mean, you have to be the only person in history to ever give her a dose of her own medicine!"

"Gerald!" Arnold scolded, his guilt now beginning to weigh him down once more. "That's not helping!" As they reached P.S 118, Arnold stopped and looked at his feet. "What I did was underhanded. I shouldn't have-"

"What? Stuck up for yourself?" Gerald suggested with a raised eyebrow. "That's something you honestly should have been doing from the start! That girl has been walking all over you for years and you just let her do it! I'm glad you finally found your voice!"

The blonde boy was at a loss for words. What his friend said wasn't exactly wrong; however he wasn't right either, not by a long shot. He knew it was okay to stand his ground, but it went against Arnold's principles to play dirty. "It's not about standing up for myself, Gerald… It was the context I used." He finally explained.

"What do you mean?" Gerald asked, noticing there were becoming fewer and fewer kids around as they all were entering the school.

Knowing it wasn't his place to explain Helga's business to him; Arnold just sighed and began to walk up the entrance. "Never mind, let's just go." He replied as he held the large front door open.

Time was passing by rather quickly as Arnold gazed up at one of the clocks in the hallway. He made plans with himself to find Helga and talk to her before class started, however that didn't seem like it was going to happen. Gripping the large poster she had made and his backpack, he and his friend walked to their classroom.

All seemed well around the class but notably one person was missing. "Harold…" Arnold whispered as he looked around the room. Feeling a sense of dread, he could only imagine that his mother made him stay home to nurse his wounds and left Sid to do the presentation by himself. Thinking of his own partner, Arnold looked to Helga who seemed to be in her usual mood and writing in her notebook. It was small, but a sense of relief managed to wash over him. There was probably only 5 minutes before home room would start but maybe they would be able to at least pass notes with each other until it was time for their project. Luckily for him, Mr. Simmons had a tendency to organize the speeches by the students' lasts names, making their projects one of the last to be presented.

"Good morning, class!" Mr. Simmons sang happily as he walked into the classroom and placed his belongings on his desk. "Today is Friday, and as you all should know, today is presentation day! Please have one person from your group hand in the essay to the mayor and I'll give you 10 minutes to prepare your notes for the project. I'm sure all of your topics will be very interesting as all of you have your own individual interests and talents that would make this city an even brighter place than it is!"

Arnold could feel a little bit of excitement spark inside him as he glanced over at Helga. Around them, all the students began gathering together with their partner to discuss their presentation and he knew he had to do the same. This will give me a little time before the performance to speak with her properly… or well, as properly as I can anyway. He thought as he collected the things he brought with him. He concentrated on himself for a moment to gather up his feelings and thoughts before swapping seats with the person in back of her, who happened to be Nadine.

"Thanks!" He called out with a wave, as the braided girl waved back and sat next to Rhonda.

Helga heard the boys' voice behind her and immediately it sent tingles down her spine. She had done her best to prepare herself for the moment since she woke up, however now it was time and now she wasn't ready. Did he hate her now? Will everything be okay like Phoebe continued to say? Or did Helga really ruin the small thing she was finally able to create? Thoughts upon thoughts began to soar through the young girls mind and she was unable to bring herself to turn around and face him.

Sitting idly for a moment, Arnold waited patiently. He had made his presence noticed, that he was sure of however couldn't help but assume she was ignoring him. Arnold sighed and held his large head up with his hand. What do I say? He asked himself. Do I just apologize like yesterday? Do I let her come to me? The clock was ticking to the right of him and he knew they only had so long to prepare. Deciding that he couldn't wait any longer, Arnold cleared his voice and leaned forward; placing his head close to left her shoulder. "Helga…" He whispered softly, that way not to startle her or get the attention from anyone around them. "I know I hurt you yesterday and I'm really really sorry… "He paused as he took in a short breath. "Please talk to me… we don't have that much time before everyone starts presenting." Arnold was beginning to feel nervous and self conscious. It was bad enough that Harold had found out about their union, and even though it didn't seem that Sid or Stinky really believed him yet, but him remaining in such close proximity of her didn't help their image if they were still hiding it.

As he spoke in her ear, Helga's body began to tremble. Such soft words, such a velvety voice! She swooned inside. And he doesn't even seem mad at me either! But no! Stop it Helga! We still can't simply forgive him for yesterday simply because of how luxuriously smooth his words are! Remember the objective! She coached herself on the inside. Once feeling his movement of sitting back down, Helga gripped her pencil and turned around. Gazing upon his Holy face, she could feel her stubborn decision begin to backfire. He looks so… sorry. She couldn't help but recognize.

"W-what?!" She stammered as she continued to look into those emerald jewels that looked her way. "What do you want?"

"Helga…" He frowned. "I know we don't have long to talk and I know this may not be the best place to talk but…" He then looked around the room and noticed that all of the other students were engaged in conversation and not paying any notice to them, "I didn't mean what I said yesterday. I was just so… so frustrated that it just sorta came out."

Helga began to frown alongside him as he spoke, hearing his regret only made her feel worse. Yes what he said was cruel but seeing him like this felt one hundred times worse.

"I know you were just trying to lay even grounds between me and everyone else now but… I don't know, it just felt like you were accusing me of not wanting my parents around; like if I regretted ever finding them." He continued to explain, slowly averting his gaze to elsewhere. "So I snapped back. It was wrong, and I know it so…" Arnold then shyly turned back to her, a small pink hue adorning his cheeks, "If you could somehow find it inside yourself to forgive me, I'd really appreciate it."

Suddenly they heard a small cracking sound. Helga looked down to see she had been gripping her pencil so hard during his speech that it had broken in half. With a gulp, she placed it down on her desk and slid it away from her. Just say you're sorry too! She screamed at herself inside. "I-I-I…" She attempted to start, unsure of even how. "I think…" She continued, as Arnold stared at her patiently but expectantly. "I'm…" But before she could finish, Mr. Simmons stood up and addressed the class again, cutting her off.

"Alright class! It's time for our first presentation!" He said excitedly as he placed his two hands together with a clap. "Now I know it's a bit unorthodox, but I'm going to have Arnold and Helga present first as there are… certain circumstances that require them both asap elsewhere." He finished with a little concern, as he looked to both of the children.

"Oooooo~" The class said in chorus, all eyes now attached to the couple.

"Now now, class! Everyone pay attention as I'm sure they've picked something spectacular for their project." Mr. Simmons motioned his hand for them both to stand up, and then moved out of the way so they would have the stage.

Arnold stood up and grabbed his papers, handing off the poster board to Helga as she rose herself. Looking at each other with uncertainty, they both walked up to the front of the class and began their speech. Helga held up her poster and growled, causing her audience to silence.

"The subject of our area renewal project is," Arnold started before tapping on the poster she held up. "Big Bobs Beepers." Almost instantaneously the student body began to whisper to one another but Arnold ignored them and continued. "Due to the recent progression in technology, the beeper industry has begun to plummet, causing businesses like this one to shut down as they're unable to stay afloat. The reason we have decided to use this as our focus is-"

"Is because Helga's family is broke." Rhonda interrupted as the rest of the class snickered.

"Ms. Lloyd!" Mr. Simmons scolded sternly, causing the girl to cross her arms and turn away.

Helga snorted. "What? It's not like she's wrong."

Waiting patiently for the commotion to settle down, Arnold turned to his partner who gave him an eye roll and motioned to continue. "Right… Anyway, although improving on the beeper industry wouldn't exactly boost our city, it would help small businesses around our city who are unable to afford things like cell phone contracts, to afford lesser expensive means of communication like beepers." He then pointed to a chart on the poster and explained the mathematics of it all, causing most of the class to slouch in boredom. "We attempted to go out and boost the business a little by handing out flyers with information to the public…" His face then went grim as he turned to his teacher. "However, we had very little success. Hopefully, with the mayor's help, we could get a little more help from the city to possibly get this business afloat again and save a few jobs."

Mr. Simmons clapped at the end of their presentation and stood up with a smile. "Very good, you two! That was an excellent topic. Helping our fellow man is always something that we should strive for, and to have someone in our very own class to benefit from it as well!" The joy began to fade from the aging man's face as he approached the two and took their essay and poster board. "Now… I'm afraid Principal Wartz is waiting for you two in his office. I stalled him so you could present your project, however I don't think I can stall him anymore or he'll end up calling for you over the intercom…"

The two obviously knew what it was about, however Arnold was surprised to hear that he too was wanted. The class let out another loud "Oooooo!" before Helga stomped out of the classroom, causing Arnold to nervously follow.

"Helga, wait up!" He called out to her as he caught up to her march. He waited a few seconds to see if she had anything to say, as she had never finished her sentence earlier, nor had she actually said anything to him of real substance. He noticed her face had broken from its usual scowl into a softer complexion but she made no attempt to respond. Arnold frowned. "So… you don't forgive me, do you?" He asked sadly, turning to look forward.

Helga could feel her frustrations with herself bubble up. She gritted her teeth and calmly spoke "Its… It's not that I don't forgive you, Football head. I just don't know how to feel about all of this." She explained truthfully. Arnold nodded and she inhaled sharply to continue. "I guess… I could have worded what I said yesterday differently but I didn't think it would really make you mad." Her voice started to become higher pitched as she became further and further uneasy with her own words. "I…" Helga stopped as they reached Principal Wartz's office. "You're the last person I want to be mad at me, really…" her voice became weak and she turned to face the door, unable to look at him in the face. It didn't matter how many walls got broken down, telling him the truth was still hard.

The boy could feel the tension between them begin to fade. Her expressions and body language told him most of what he needed to hear, but her word only made his worries that much lighter. "Thanks, Helga." He said as he placed his hand on her shoulder warmly, "I'm glad to hear you feel the same way."

Fireworks went off in the young woman's brain as she heard his sentence. "Ohhhh~" She let her feelings escape a little before grabbing the office door handle and plunging downward, causing herself to lose footing and stumble into the Principal's office awkwardly.

Inside the office, the old balding Principal sat with his left hand on this intercom and his right holding down the button as if he was about to talk. "Oh." He said, placing it back down and stiffening his posture. "I was just about to call for you two. Have a seat."

The two adolescents walked into the man's small office and sat down in the less than cushiony chairs provided.

"What is it now, Wartz?" Helga demanded as she slouched in her seat and propped her shoes up on the end of his desk.

The Principal narrowed his eyes, stood up and pushed her feet off his desk in one fell swoop. "Don't show such disrespect to me, young lady." He began with a harsh tone. "I'm sure you know very well why you're here." He then turned to Arnold, who sat innocently to her right. "And you, young man, should also know your position in this."

"Actually, Principal Wartz… I don't know why I'm here." Arnold corrected cautiously.

Removing himself from the confines of his desk, the older gentleman began to pace himself around his office, glaring at the two children. "Here at P.S 118, we strive to provide excellence for our students. This includes a non-hostile place of learning, and as students of P.S. 118 you're expected to perform excellence even outside the school building. As students of this school, you are expected to represent P.S. 118 and its standards."

"Yeah, yeah! Cut the fat and spit it out, Wartz!" Helga groaned impatiently.

"You, Ms. Pataki, deliberately and unreasonably attacked a fellow student and that is unacceptable." The Principal threw back, as he grasped the top of the young girls chair and squeezed.

"Oh, and now you care?" Helga turned around to face him with a scowl. "Older students have beaten us up in the past and that's perfectly acceptable but because I give Harold a black eye, it's not?"

Clearing his throat, he let go of the chair and proceeded to walk back to his desk. "I have no knowledge of past instances in which you were victim, Ms. Pataki, but I do implore you to come forward next time you have such issues. However, as for right now, you stand accused for assaulting a fellow student. How do you plea?"

"Guilty as charged and not a speck of remorse for it, either." Helga replied with a chuckle as she leaned back in the chair, causing it to stand on its two hind legs.

"Oh! Is that right?" The man said with a bothered tone as he pulled a file out from his desk.

Arnold felt it was necessary to step in before things got too heated. "Principal Wartz, in our defense Harold was the one who purposely came to my house to pick a fight with her. Helga was only standing up for herself."

"Is that so?" He responded, not looking up or even acknowledging the boy. This caused Arnold to become a little agitated.

"Yes, it is so. I won't say that what Helga did was right, but he is just as much as at fault for instigating it." Arnold explained, "And also this doesn't explain why I'm here, either. I didn't do anything."

Principal Wartz continued to nose through files until finally finding the one he was looking for "Aha!" He exclaimed as he forced it out of its place and on to his desk with a loud slap. He had heard the boy's words but found his reasons for being here less important than his companion, thus ignoring his question the first time. "Son, the reason you're here today is because you are a key witness in this assault and as such I'll need you to tell me exactly what happened before I can continue with her punishment. As you can see here," He then held up two folders in his hand, "I have both of your permanent records. These follow you for the rest of your school lives, do you understand that? So tread carefully and speak honestly."

"I'm always honest." Arnold said, displeased of the implication.

"And he already told you what happened." Helga chimed in.

"Yes, well let me hear the story from start to finish." The Principal instructed as he laid down the folders and took out a pen to record the details.

With a long sigh, Arnold wove the long and disheartening tale of Helga storming out of his house due to a disagreement and Harold standing at his door just waiting for them to emerge so he could degrade and belittle them to his delight, along with Sid and Stinky as his back up. Under normal circumstances, Arnold wouldn't have called them out but if it meant saving Helga from whatever punishment Wartz had in mind, he figured it was worth it.

"I see…" The Principal said as he scribbled down the last of Arnold's statement. "And you say that your two other classmates were also there?"

"Yes!" Helga shouted as she stood up, "Now go bother them for their statements so we can continue with our 'oh so important' learning! I'm sure they'll rat him out faster than you can threaten detention."

With a firm nod, Wartz finished up his paperwork and removed their files from his desk, giving Arnold much needed liberation. "Then it seems I'll have to look into this case further." He then looked over his half moon spectacles and glared especially at Helga. "You're dismissed… for now. I suspect I'll have you I my office again by the end of the day, Ms. Pataki."

The threat was unwarranted and only caused Helga to huff before she leapt out of her seat without delay and headed for the door. "Whatever." She hissed than swung open the door and looked over at Arnold who was still sitting in his chair. "You coming or what?"

"Oh, uh…" Arnold hesitated as he looked to the Principal for signal to leave.

"You may leave, Arnold." Wartz nodded.

Arnold immediately scrambled to his feet and walked out the door with Helga in the lead. Almost the very second that the office door closed, Helga let out a loud noise of irritation and began to stomp towards a water fountain, to which she took a drink from.

"I can't believe Wartz has it out for you like that…" Arnold mentioned as he averted his eyes from her as she drank rapidly. "Are you called to his office often?"

Finishing her last slurp of ice cold city water, Helga wiped her mouth with her arm and scowled toward the office. "Yeah. He always finds some reason to threaten me with something. I don't know what called up his butt but ever since last year, he's been pretty on my case."

Arnold shook his head in worry before looking up at her. "Sounds sorta like harassment when you put it like that."

"What else is new? Didn't you know my life is full of gumdrops and waterfalls, Football head?" She replied, a little amused but mostly bothered by how accurate his statement was. Although she had no intention on telling him, her father and the Principal had fought on a number of occasions that only lead to a never ending feud between the two of them, and only hurting Helga as collateral damage.

An silence swept over the two as they walked back to class. Thoughts of holding her hand came into mind but were quickly pushed out as he remembered the state they were both in currently as well as the fact they were in school. He could see that her hands were currently clenched anyway and that she wasn't in the best mood. "Tomorrow is the photo shoot…" He mentioned, trying to lighten the mood with something positive. "Are you ready?"

"Hah!" Helga hooted, sharply turning a corner in hot pursuit of their classroom. "I can't wait to see how Rhonda is planning this. I picked out a few of the older models for her to show off since, ya know hipsters seem to like old things, but other than that I have no idea what we're doing."

Arnold caught up to her pace and chuckled a little himself. "Yeah, I guess it will be a surprise for the two of us then." Then he remembered their plans for after the shoot and began to feel a little nervous again. "We still on for those plans afterwards…?" He quietly asked.

She could feel her face get hot as she too remembered their plans. "Y-y-yeah…" She glanced down at him. "If you want to… still do that…"

Seeing her blush only made him do the same. Arnold looked away and nervously scratched the back of his arm. "I do." He felt adamant on that. If there was anything he could do to fix the mishap yesterday, he was willing to do just that.

Lunch ended up being pretty normal, as did pretty much the rest of the school day. Arnold and Helga had received a B+ on their project, as although their focus would help jobs; it didn't exactly help the city over all but the grade was passing and neither of them complained. It was no surprise to anyone that Phoebe and Gerald's project ended up being the first of two to be selected to be sent to the mayor's office for consideration, as their focus was on refurbishing the old Capitol Theater and turning it into an art museum to reflect all of the plays and operas that had once been shown there since the beginning of the city's history. The second sent for consideration was Sheena and Eugene's project which focused on abolishing a few of the abandoned buildings downtown and turning them into a homeless shelter for the less fortunate. Lesser projects included, turning Elk Island into a free roaming zoo (courtesy of Curly and Iggy), turning main street into a shopping center (courtesy of Rhonda and Nadine), Making the jolly-olly man deliver right to your door (Courtesy of Harold and Sid) and finally turning the port area into some sort of a all year carnival (Courtesy of Stinky and Brainy).

It was also no surprise to neither Arnold nor Helga when they heard Sid and Stinky's name announced over the intercom to report to the Principal's office either. As they exited the classroom, the two boy's both gave equally unhappy glares towards the two's direction. "Snitch." Sid hissed at Arnold before closing the classroom door. Arnold could feel feel a lump of guilt in his throat and he began to slouch down in his seat. He knew that the moment school let out, that he would be approached by the two boys.

"What was that about?" Gerald asked, the moment the bell rang for school dismissal as he reached his best friends desk.

The lump in Arnold's throat still hadn't gone away and he had spent the remainder of the class thinking of how to approach his two friends who were probably still being grilled by Principal Wartz. "Remember the thing I told you about this morning?" He asked as he procrastinated getting his things together and watched as the others left the classroom.

"You mean the argument between you and Helga?"

Arnold shook his head. "No, the thing that happened after that…" he clarified, still watching the classroom door as if someone was going to come in at any moment.

"So you mean when Helga beat up Harold?" Gerald crossed his arms and began feeling suspicious. "What about it?"

"I left out the part where Sid and Stinky were also there, since it didn't seem relevant." This blonde boy couldn't help but confess with a long exasperated sigh.

"Okaaaaay so what's your point?" Gerald was becoming genuinely confused and even more concerned with Arnolds staring at the classroom door and lack of leaving.

"When Helga and I got called into the office, she was going to get suspended or something! I couldn't let that happen when it wasn't totally her fault so-"Arnold explained but was suddenly cut off by the sound of a large angry mob outside of the classroom door. Turning to each other quickly in concern, they both bolted out of the room to see what was going down.

Upon opening the door, Arnold and Gerald peered outside to see the front doors to the school open and a bunch of kids crowding the entrance, hooting and hollering.

"Oh no…" Arnold uttered out as he began to quickly rush to the mob, pushing his way through to see what the commotion was. His fears were soon confronted when he saw none other than Sid and Stinky confronting Helga in front of the large student body.

"Arnold, what's going on?" Gerald managed to say as he shoved a younger boy with glasses out of his way in order to reach his friend. He too stood in awe of the situation but was more concerned with where his own girlfriend was in all of this; next to the person being interrogated.

"How could you?!" Sid demanded as he pointed his fingers at Helga accusingly. "You just had to go an rat us out?! We didn't even do anything!"

"Yeah, Helga! That wasn't very nice! It was Harold that was yellin' mean things to you, not us!" Stinky agreed as he crossed his arms.

"Look," Helga began calmly, as she grit her teeth as if she was trying to hold her rage back. "I wasn't about to go getting suspended because you three bozo's decided it was a good idea to try and pick a fight with me. You're just lucky that I didn't get to you two next."

Phoebe could see her friend was doing everything in her power to not escalate the situation and gently placed her hand on Helga's arm. "Just breathe…" She whispered.

"But ratting us out?! All you had to say was Harold did it alone and everything would have been fine!" Sid cried furiously. "Now we're all facing detention!"

Arnold had heard enough. Signaling Gerald to follow, they both rushed through the rest of the crowd and stood by the girls sides.

"And you!" Sid called out to Arnold the moment his image made it through the rest of the students. "You're just as much as a snitch as she is! I thought we were friends, Arnold?"

"Yeah! How could you turn your backs on us like that?" Stinky asked, although admittedly more genuinely offended at the act rather than angry.

"Guys, if you would just let me explain-" Arnold started but yet again was cut off.

"Oh save it, Football head." Helga shouted as she got up in Sid's face. "This one doesn't care to hear what we have to say…" She then flicked his backwards cap off his head, causing Sid to get even angrier.

"Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!" The kids behind them began to chat ominously.

Gerald grabbed Phoebe's hand and attempted to pull her away from the scene but was halted as she shook her head. "This isn't out fight!" He called out to her but she wouldn't budge.

"No, but I'm not leaving Helga." The Japanese girl explained, looking at her boyfriend seriously in the face.

Sighing in defeat, Gerald then beckoned to Arnold. "Come on man, let's go. Let those two duke it out or something."

After Sid had gathered his hat and placed it back on top his greasy fine hair, he turned back to Helga. "So now you gonna fight me too, huh? Gonna knock me on the ground like Harold and wail on me?!"

His suggestion only caused Helga to laugh. "Only if you want me to, twerp."

Stinky could see that the confrontation was getting them nowhere and placed his long skinny hand on Sid's shoulder, only for it to be knocked away. "No!" He called out to Stinky. "I want to know why they did it! Why did you two narks rat us out to Principal Wartz?!" He asked both Arnold and Helga, his face becoming flushed.

"Because it wasn't fair for her to get total blame when it was the three of you who came to MY house to mock us!" Arnold shouted, causing everyone around them to quiet down a little. "Why is it that Helga is always getting the blame?" He aimed his question at the both of them, who backed down a little. "Sure, she can be mean, nasty and insensitive to people but so can Harold, yet she was the one facing punishment?!" His words rang true and slowly Arnold took the stage as the world quieted. "Was she wrong for beating him up? Absolutely! But if the three of you hadn't instigated her than none of you would be in trouble now."

"W-well we just wanted to see if it was true!" Sid called back, once finally finding his voice to talk.

Then everything suddenly got completely quiet. Arnold turned to Helga, who seemed to be stuck in place; looking at the floor and gripping on to her dress. He could feel that she was beginning to lose herself in her own fears.

"Yeah! Harold told us that he saw you two holding hands and acting all lovey-dovey so we went to see if he was pulling one over on us." Stinky nodded, sticking up for his smaller friend.

Arnold took a step backwards and put himself in front of Helga. He wanted to do everything he could to protect her from the situation but much to everyone's surprise, Phoebe then let go of Gerald's hand and stood in between Arnold and Sid. "And what if it was true, what then?" She challenged, looking around at everyone for an answer. "So what if what Harold saw was correct? How is it anyone else's business but their own?"

"Phoebe?" Helga questioned, surprised to hear her small voice become so loud and authoritative.

Feeling like he was now the only one left out, even if it was on his own accord, Gerald also stood up and next to his best friend. "Yeah! When Phoebe and I started dating, you guys didn't make a big deal about it. Why does them dating bother you?"

"Gerald?" Arnold looked up at his best friend, shocked at his entrance.

"So what if they're not the most sensible couple?" Phoebe continued to address the audience but focused mainly on Sid and Stinky. "So what if seeing them as something more than bully and prey makes you feel uncomfortable? Maybe instead of focusing on them and their private lives, you should be taking a look at yourself to see just why the thought of them together makes you feel uncomfortable."

"Because… it's just weird." Sid answered. "How are we supposed to react?"

"But that's just it…" Phoebe sighed. "You don't have to react." She then turned to Stinky "Stinky, back in the fourth grade you knowingly had a crush on Helga and no one made fun of you for it, right?"

"Gosh… that was a mighty long time ago…" Stinky mentioned as he scratched his head in thought. "I reckon no one said nothing to me about it, though."

"Did you, really?" Sid asked his tall southern friend, looking as if this was the first he heard about it.

"Well… yeah. At first it was all just a rouse for some reason or another, not that I can recall anymore but after it was all said n' done, I wound up wanting to court her for real. Unfortunately, she turned me down so I picked myself up and had to move on." Stinky explained, now beginning to feel a bit embarrassed.

Recovering for this shock of newfound information, Sid turned back to Arnold. "T-this still doesn't excuse you ratting us out though!"

"Sid… I didn't exactly rat you two out. All I did was mention to Principal Wartz that you and Stinky were there when it happened and to ask you both for further information." Arnold stated exhaustedly. The whole fight was now turning into something completely different and even most of the on lookers were becoming bored and dispersing slowly.

"If that's true then why did Wartz say that you both spilled the beans to him?!" Sid shrieked in confusion as he clutched his head and fell to his knees on the ground.

"Because he always says crap like that to make whimps like you cave in." Helga finally said, causing her friends to look up at her. "If anyone ratted you guys it, it was yourselves."

"She sorta has a point there, Sid." Stinky concluded. "After all, the moment Wartz said they told him everything, you began to tell him everything yourself…"

"I-I did?" Sid asked, looking at his own hands as if they could give him the answers he sought.

"I reckon now that all of this is said n' done, that Arnold and Helga really didn't do anything to incriminate us… we kinda dug ourselves in our own hole." Stinky sighed and shook his head with shame.

Gerald applied his forefinger and thumb to the bridge of his nose and grit his teeth before speaking. "So you guys are telling me that this whole charade was for nothing?"

Stinky picked his small friend up off the ground and gave Gerald an apologetic look. "Sorry about that, fellas…"

"Did I really spill the beans to Wartz myself?" Sid was still questioning both himself and Stinky, amazed to hear such development.

"Plead like a criminal with the death sentence." Stinky nodded.

"Oh no! Now Harold is gonna kill us!" Sid began to panic and clutched his face with his hands.

"What do you mean us? You were the one that ratted him out, Sid" Stinky raised his eyebrow and began to walk away.

Sid began to argue "But you agreed with me back there! It's your fault too!" He cried out as he followed, leaving the group of four standing there alone as if nothing had ever happened.

An awkward silence along with a stay newspaper danced across the sidewalk. A lot had just happened and each of them needed a moment to process it all. One by one they all looked at each other and then agreed to begin walking home.

"That was exhausting…" Arnold commented as he held his hand with his head.

"I'll say…" Gerald agreed as he shook his head. "No one ever said they were the brightest kids in class, though."

Phoebe looked up at Helga, who still hadn't said much since the Arnold had stood up for her in front of the group. Nonchalantly, she grazed her hand with her own in order to get the taller girl's attention. "Hey, you okay?" She whispered softly.

Helga turned her head back to in front of them and watched as Arnold and Gerald continued to converse. "Yeah. I mean, I've have better day's but I'll live."

"I apologize if anything I said was out of line back there." Phoebe hung her head, "I just couldn't stand listening to them criticize you like that."

The girl's words made the weight inside Helga's heart shift a little, and a faint smile emerged. "Don't be sorry for being a good friend, Pheebs. I would have done the same for you if they started talking smack about you and tall hair boy over there."

Phoebe picked her head back up and smiled. "Really?"

"Of course! What are friends for?" Helga could feel the mood lightening. "Besides, people were bound to find out anyway. I've been stoning myself for this moment all week but… I didn't think it would happen like this."

"Now we just have to wait until Harold comes back to school on Monday…" Arnold chimed in as he and Gerald had been listening in on the girls talk.

"That's sure to be a whole new fiasco." Gerald whined.

"How much worse could it be?" Phoebe asked, "He already has done his best to humiliate the two of them in broad daylight, to which he was punished by Helga. I can't imagine him attempting to go through with a second attempt."

"I doubt he has the balls to do it anyway." Helga stated even though worries danced through her mind. "And if he does, I'll just beat the crap out of him again." She forced herself to laugh.

"I really don't recommend that, Helga." Arnold scolded as he turned his head to look at her.

"True because you'll just get all handsy and hold me back again." She smirked, causing him to blush and turn his head back in front.

Gerald noticed the little sign and smiled to himself. Letting his pace fall a little, he let Phoebe catch up with him and he gracefully entwined her hand with his. "I think it's time to do that thing we planned for today, right Phoebe?" He winked her way.

Phoebe tilted her head, a little confused "What could you possibly be referring to, Gerald? I don't recall…"

"You know, that thing we said we'd do today." Gerald smiled playfully as he lightly nudged her, hoping she would catch his drift.

Luckily she wasn't foreign to his signal and she giggled to herself. "Of course! How could I forget that thing! How silly of me." Phoebe then stopped, causing the other three to stop with her.

"What thing?" Arnold asked; a little confused. "I thought we were gonna play baseball today to make up for tomorrow afternoon?"

"Oh yeah, I totally forgot! I'm sorry Arnold but Jamie-O really wants me and Phoebe over to see that studio for tomorrow and I sorta promised him we wouldn't be late…" Gerald nervously laughed as he slowly backed up with her.

"Why don't we all go see it then?" Arnold suggested but much to his dismay, Gerald kept shaking his head.

"Sorry, Arnold. It would be much too crowded in his car! You know, he's always got a bunch of junk in the back seat." Gerald shrugged as he squeezed Phoebe's hand for help.

"Right and I'm needed for a second opinion. You understand." She smiled.

Helga shrugged as the two of them acting weird were of no real concern to her. "Okay. See ya, Pheebs! Call me later and let me know about this studio. Oh, and let Rhonda know about it too. I'd rather not call her myself."

"Will do." Phoebe gave her best friends a thumbs up before Helga began to walk away on her own.

Arnold frowned and looked from Gerald to Helga, feeling a little left out. "Well, okay Gerald. Call me when you two are done, alright?"

"Absolutely my brother!" He called out, grinning and pointing to the exiting Helga with his thumb.

Finally catching the hint, Arnold gave Gerald a thumbs up, turned around and ran after Helga to catch up with her.

"You think you did the right thing leaving them alone right now?" Phoebe asked; a little worried about Helga.

Gerald placed his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in close. "They'll be fine. Arnold has had a lot on his mind that he needs to talk out with her anyway. And besides, now we have the whole rest of the day to ourselves!" He grinned.

Phoebe gave a small blush and giggled in response, "Oh! How positively sly you are~"


	9. Chapter 9

Arnold had caught up to Helga before he turned his head once again to watch as Gerald and Phoebe took another direction; his arm draped over her shoulder. He was happy for them, envious as well. They were so suitable for each other. Gerald was strong and quick witted while Phoebe was quiet and smart. Where Gerald had street smarts, Phoebe had book smarts. Both of them seemed to balance each other out in almost a harmonious way.

Looking up at his own partner, he could see that her spirit still hadn't been lifted and he couldn't blame her. The scene in front of the school was probably on the same level as a band aid being ripped off prematurely for her. It needed to happen at some point and she could only prepare herself for that moment, however it was supposed to be up to her to decide when that moment would be, not someone else. Sure, their unexpected union was bound to turn a few familiar heads around but it was only those few immature heads that they really needed to worry about and, of course, would make the biggest splash amongst the crowd. Why was it so bad for them to be together? Why was it that much more acceptable for someone like Gerald and Phoebe to get together, but not them? Arnold glanced down at Helga's swinging free hand and felt the urge to hold it, but then resisted. She had warned him that showing off their relationship in public would only cause problem, but he had insisted otherwise… and look what happened. Arnold furrowed his brow and looked to the side walk in front of him. Maybe if I just talk to Harold before any of this gets worse… He thought, as he noticed they were getting closer and closer to Helga's place. Maybe I can talk some sense into him… He can be a reasonable guy, sometimes…

"Hey, umm Helga?" He called out, looking up at his tall female companion as they reached their usual parting area.

She looked down and could see that he had something important on his mind. "Yeah?"

Arnold clenched his fists and decided that it was in both of their best interests to go through with his plan alone. "I'm really sorry for everything…" He started, looking up into her blue eyes to hopefully make the connection that his words were beyond sincere.

"W-what do you mean?" She asked, confused. "It's not your fault Sid came after me."

"No, but it is my fault that things ended up this way." He continued. He could see that she still wasn't on the same page, so he continued. "It was my idea to hold hands in public. I was the one that said everything would be okay, and if it wasn't for that, Harold would have never seen us. I also take full responsibility for the cruel things I said yesterday which caused you to leave my house. If I had used my better senses, then you would have never went so far as to beat him up either and-"

"Arnold let me stop you right there." Helga interrupted with a serious gaze. "Don't go blaming your big, stupid football shaped head of yours for my actions! I do what I do because I want to and no other reason." She could feel herself becoming angry but pushed it away to continue in a calm manner. "Sure, you innocently said that if we held hands in public, everything would be okay but let me get one thing straight, it was MY decision to agree. I wanted to do it, so I did." She said while crossing her arms.

"But Helga," He tried to butt in but was silenced.

"Don't But Helga me!" She blurted out, mimicking his voice in a patronizing way. "So what if I wanted to be more careful about it for my own childish and selfish reasons?!" She exclaimed, waving her arms about as she faced him. "I mean, Sheesh! Do you know how happy it makes me to know that you want to show off your feelings for me in public?! I SHOULDN'T care what everyone thinks of us! In fact," She said as she grabbed both of his hands and pulled him closer to her. She could see that her sudden forcefulness had surprised him, but she didn't care. If there was one thing she wanted to make perfectly clear to Arnold, this was that one thing. "You're the only thing that matters to me! Your feelings of me; what you think of me, of us…" Her voice became softer and began to waver as she expressed herself. "Let that fat slob say what he wants about us, Arnold… I'll get through it. I always do. You're the one who said I'm amazingly strong, right?"

Arnold couldn't help but stare in awe as she indeed stood up to his expectations. Was he wrong for being so worried about her in the first place? He could feel her grasp on his hands become tighter and he gripped back to show he understood. "Yes, you are pretty resilient…" He smiled as he felt heat begin to resonate from his cheeks, "But that doesn't mean that you should have to force yourself to get through it either."

Helga let out an understanding sigh. "That's what growing up is though, you yutz." Her voice sounded mature and humorous despite almost going off the deep end a moment ago. "I wouldn't be who I am today if I didn't push through obstacles, right? This might be hard on me now but it won't be so bad later." She shrugged.

Her words made sense but it still did not bend his convictions. Gracefully he laced their fingers together. "Helga," He started as his heart began to beat faster as he prepared for what he was about to say. "When I woke up this morning, I had no idea what today was going to be like. I didn't know if you weren't gonna wanna see my face anymore or even talk to me ever again…"

She chuckled a little at his statement. "Yeah, fat chance of that ever happening…"

"But I'm being serious. I was so worried that I could barely sleep last night! All I kept thinking of was what I could say to fix things or what I had to do to make you see what it was all just an accident…" As he continued, his hands started to get clammy. Over the past few days of being with her, there were so many things he had begun noticing about himself that surprised him. One of those things was how attached he had become of her that even losing her temporarily scared him, and another was something he was about to say. Being this was the first time in his life he had ever needed to prepare himself for saying something like this, he was naturally nervous.  
Arnold could feel a lump in his throat begin to form as well as his head beginning to get a little cloudy but he pushed onward while he still had her undivided attention. "The other day when we stood in this very spot and you asked me if you could be my girlfriend and I said yes… Helga, I'd never seen you so happy in probably my entire life and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to preserve that happiness. You've already done so much for me so please... Please let me try to do the same for you."

Helga stood love stuck by the boy, unable to even utter a single word. Deciding this would probably be one of the only chances he got of winning, Arnold decided to go for the goal while he had the chance. Bringing her left hand up to his lips, he kissed it gently with a smile. "There are some things I have to take care of today, so I'm sorry I can't stay longer." And with that, he let go of their hands and started to back up. "I'll see you tomorrow for the photo shoot, okay? Have a good rest of the day, Helga!" He called to her before turning around and running, leaving her with a goofy grin.

"Uh… ya… see ya, Arnold…" She stammered as she watched him disappear into the distance.

Arnold now only had one thing on his mind and that was going to Harold's house to talk to him.

"Harold! Harold Berman, you get in this kitchen right now mister!" Mrs. Berman called from the kitchen. When she realized that her son still was not on his way, she marched into the living room to see him sitting on the couch in the same position she had left him nearly an hour ago when she had left to go grocery shopping. "Are you really gonna make your mother put all of these groceries away herself?" She demanded.

"I said I would when a commercial comes on." Harold responded while he stared at the screen; eating his box of chocolate numb-numbs.

Immediately the woman walked over to the television and pushed the power button, causing it to shut off with a loud whine. Completely shocked and horrified, Harold turned to her with his mouth gaping wide. "Moooooooom!"

"Just because I let you stay home from school today does NOT mean that you get to lie around and do nothing! You may have a black eye but your arms and legs still work perfectly fine!" She scolded as she crossed her arms to show that she was serious. "Now get in this kitchen this instant!"

With a loud wail of displeasure, Harold slumped even further on his couch before sliding off and on to the floor. Being completely unamused at his dramatics, she walked back into the kitchen to continue her task. Harold eventually forced his body to get up "Always grouchy and telling me what to do…" he mumbled to himself as he threw down the pillow he had been holding on the floor.

When he walked into the kitchen, he found all of the bags his mother had brought home on top of the kitchen table in no particular order. In his own interest, he began to rummage through the bags; hoping to find something good to munch on while he helped put the items away.

"And you're not touching any of that food until after dinner." His mother mentioned as she put a can of beans into the cupboard without looking at her son.

"Awwww!" He turned to her, in utter despair. "You can't be serious?!"

"I'm very serious, Harold. You are a grown adult and better start acting like one soon." She continued to lecture as she began to sort through the cabinet to make more space. "One day you're gonna be old enough to get married and have your own children, you know…" The thought of her being a grandmother someday warmed her heart and soul. "Little pitter patters on the floor…" She hummed to herself thoughtfully. "So you need to start practicing being righteous more often! Making your poor mother do all the work by herself... I hope you won't make your future wife do this too."

"Mom!" Harold cried out before crumpling a paper bag and throwing it into the trash. "Stop it! You're embarrassing me!"

"Embarrassing am I now?" His mother looked over at him in shock, "If you're so grown now then how about you start reciting the blessing over the Challah tonight? It could be good practice for when you have your own family."

Harold continued to grumble underneath his breath as he went through the bags. One thing he knew he could always look forward to was Friday and Saturday night dinners. They were always the biggest and bestest to him as his mother always bought a colorful array of foods and plenty of desserts!

Just as he finally finished unpacking the groceries and properly recycling the bags, he heard his doorbell go off and sound throughout his house.

"Oh my, I wonder who that could be." His mother questioned as she looked at him a little bewildered. "Are you expecting anyone?"

Harold then remembered that today was the day of their presentation. "Oh it's probably Sid coming over to tell me how good we did on that project!" He beamed gleefully, "I'll be right back!"

Quickly he rushed out of the kitchen, through his living room and to his front door. Once opened, his giant smile shriveled up as it was not Sid whom he was expecting, but Arnold standing there with a simple smile. Thoughts of the other day rushed back to him and he couldn't help but grunt at his visitor. "What do you want?" He growled through his teeth.

His unwelcome presence only made Arnold frown. "I just wanted to talk. Come on, Harold don't be like that."

"Talk?" Harold spoke at first but then gradually began to raise his voice, "Talk?! What would I have to talk to you about?!" He then pushed passed Arnold and shut his front door so that way his mother couldn't overhear the conversation and butt in. "After you let your stupid girlfriend pounce on me like some panther?!"

"Harold!" Arnold called to him, "Come on, please just sit down here with me and let's talk." He said as he sat down on the large boy's stoop and patted the area next to him.

Feeling like there was some ulterior motive, Harold squinted his eyes at the boy before complying and sitting down. He knew Arnold was a nice guy and meant well but his blood still boiled at the memories they both shared of the day prior.

"See? No big deal, right?" The blonde boy smiled, pleased that he got his friend to be reasonable. Arnold waited a little bit to see if Harold had anything else he wanted to say before continuing. "Now I know you're upset about what happened with Helga, but-"

"You let her pounce on me!" He shouted again, interrupting Arnold and causing him to shutter a little at his loud voice.

"Y-yes, you're right. She did pounce on you, but Harold-"

"But nothing Arnold! We're supposed to be friends and I was just at your house, minding my own business and she ran outside and started hitting me!" Harold cried out in his defense.

"But you weren't there to mind your own business…" Arnold corrected with another frown. "She would have never hit you if that were the case, you know that…"

Feeling like his small attempt at a cover was blown; Harold huffed to himself and crossed his arms. "Still doesn't mean she can go around swinging. When I see her next, she's gonna get what's coming to her! Just you wait and see and there's nothing you can even do about it!"

This isn't going as well as I'd hoped… Arnold sighed to himself as he listened to the boy's threat. He knew that Harold could be pretty primitive minded but he had hoped with the little time that had passed, he would have realized his own fault in the occurrence. Placing his hand on his forehead, Arnold shook his head. "That isn't going to solve anything. You can't solve all your problems with violence."

"Well why not?! She does!" The large boy wailed.

Sucking in a large amount of air to stay level headed, Arnold focused closely on his friend. "Okay Harold, let's start over. Why were you, Sid and Stinky over my house that day? Let's start with that."

"Cuz I saw you and Helga holding hands and at first, I was like holy crap! This can't be real! But it was because I know it was, because I saw it!" Harold began; his voice calming down as he told his story. "So then I went to go get the guys so I could tell them because I knew they wouldn't be able to believe it either! And of course they didn't so I brought them to your house so we could be sure about it!"

"Okay good! That's a good start." Arnold coached helpfully. "And what happened after Helga left my house. What did you guys do?" At his question, he could see Harold begin to make grumpy looking face and he knew he should continue. "You made jabs at her, right?"

"Yeah, so what?!" Harold asked, huffing once more. "She always makes jabs at me all the time! Calling me fatso and pink boy! Why can't I do the same thing?!"

"Two wrongs don't make a right, Harold…" Arnold remarked as he wore a concerned face. "I know she does and says mean things, I mean, I've been taking the brunt of it all my life, but it also doesn't mean that I stoop to her level, right?" He could feel the guilt in his chest begin to stab him as he said those words, but Harold didn't need to know the truth.

"Yeah…" Harold let go of a smile, "You're always such a nice guy, Arnold! I don't think I've ever seen you do anything mean to anyone!"

His words only made the stabbing worse and Arnold winced in pain, but he laughed to mask it. "Ha-ha, yeah… So let's get back on track. You said mean things to her and unfortunately she was already in a bad mood so, being hot headed like she can be, she jumped on you."

"What's your point, Arnold?" Harold said with a pout, clearly becoming unhappy with how this conversation was going.

Fidgeting a little in place, Arnold cleared his thoughts and did his best to put words in order that would make sense to the simple friend. "My point is what you did was wrong and what she did was wrong. If you hadn't been there to make fun of her, she wouldn't have hit you and you guys would still be friends. Harold, you've known Helga just as long as I have…" Arnold pleaded, trying to reach common ground with his friend. "You know she does stuff she doesn't mean just like you do stuff sometimes that you don't mean, so I guess I'm just hoping that we can put this little issue aside and go back to being friends again like before. What do you say?"

Giving himself a moment to grasp all of Arnold's words, he realized that Arnold was right but it only made him angrier. "You're just saying all this stuff because you guys are in looooooooooove" Harold taunted. "I knew I wasn't imagining it! You guys really DO like each other!"

Fearing that his coming here only made situations worse, Arnold began to panic. "Harold Stop!" He could feel a blush overcoming his will. "None of that matters right now! We're here to talk about y-"

"So you don't deny it then?" Harold asked, causing the world around Arnold to become deathly quiet. It was as if the world had stopped spinning.

It was the moment of truth. Should he deny their relationship to keep everything flowing normal again? Should he own up to the truth and possibly make life even worse for Helga? At that thought, however he remembered her very own words to him. "Let that fat slob say what he wants about us, Arnold… I'll get through it. I always do. You're the one who said I'm amazingly strong, right?" He could remember the soft expression she had on her face when she had said that and it only made him want to protect her even more. Why did life suddenly become so difficult?

Pushing aside his conflictions, Arnold knew what the right thing to do was. "Harold, have you ever liked-liked someone before?" He asked seemingly out of the blue.

This caused Harold to blink a few times before opening his mouth to speak, but closing it again and narrowed his eyes. "So what if I have?" He asked skeptically.

"That person would have to be pretty special, right?" Arnold asked innocently as he crossed his legs to get comfortable.

The thought seemed nice and Harold decided to continue to play along. "Of course! I wouldn't just like-like someone for no reason. She would have to be the most specialist girl in the whole world!"

Nodding in agreement, Arnold could tell he was taking a step into the right direction. "Right! So how would it make you feel if someone found out who that person was, and began to make fun of you for it?"

Harold began to imagine Arnold's scenario and his face started to turn red in anger. "I'd pound them if they did!" He shouted as he smacked his large fist into his hand a few times. Harold had noticed Arnold's face as he did this and suddenly it all began to make sense. "Ohhhh. I get it now!"

Arnold couldn't help but laugh at the young man's enlightenment. "You sorta see why she reacted that way, then?"

"She wasn't just being mean and ugly like she usually is, she was just upset that I found out and was saying those things." Harold said while he contemplated his own words. It all made sense now and Harold was starting to feel a little bad. There were still so many things he didn't understand but there was one thing he understood completely and that was feeling embarrassed.

The air between them got a little thick and awkward and Arnold began to look around. He had said what he needed to, to try and smooth things over with Harold, but now unanswered questions linger about. Not only that, but as much as Arnold considered Harold a friend, and always helped him out when needed, they were never considered close, yet the topic was rather personal on both ends.

"So why do you like her?" Harold blurted out, not thinking.

"Huh?" Arnold quickly turned his head to the asker.

"Helga, I mean." Harold gave Arnold a curious look. "She's always been so mean to you n' stuff, how come you like her?"

It seemed like he was going to be getting asked this question a lot now, and Arnold gave a faint smile. "I dunno, I guess because she'd different." He put simply. "At some point, I guess I started noticing just how different so she stood out. Kinda hard not to notice someone who's been throwing spitballs at your head for years, spraying water in your face at the drinking fountain, and who humiliates you every chance they get." He let out a small laugh when he realized how ridiculous he sounded.

Harold cocked and eyebrow at the boys answer. "That's weird but..." He then replayed some of Helga's antics towards Arnold in his mind to get a better picture. "I think I understand, maybe." But then it dawned on him that relationships go two ways and he became even more confused. "But wait, so why would she purposely bother someone she liked? That doesn't make any sense. If I liked a girl, I'd try to be a nice as possible so she'd like me back! Not pick on her."

"It's funny you should mention that…" Arnold started, recalling a past conversation he had with his grandpa. "I used to think the same way." He felt a small shiver as a colder wind blew by. They were reaching the ends of summer a little earlier this year and Arnold propped up his knees and held them closer to his midsection. The memory made him smile wistfully. Had it really been that long ago? "But that's just part of her being… different." Arnold finished, not wanting to really go into much detail as he could feel heat beginning to linger on his cheeks.

"If you say so." Harold chuckled. "I personally would rather date a really nice girl, like Patty."

The comparison between the two girls only made the whole conversation that much more ironic. "Harold… she also bully's people." Arnold pointed out.

"I know but she only does it to some people. You know, people who look at her funny n' stuff." Harold added, as if it somehow justified her actions. "But deep down she's really super nice!"

Knowing that time would only escape further, Arnold stood up from his seat and walked off the stoop to face Harold. "Yeah, I know, I've talked to her a few times." He said to conclude the topic. "Anyway, I'm really glad we could talk like this, Harold and I hope when you come back to school on Monday that… maybe you won't blame Helga too much for what happened. Maybe just let it go, even for my sake?"

The suggestion made Harold scrunch his nose up. "I dunno… maybe" He said as he touched his one black eye that she had given him. He had a few more bruises from her on his chest that she had given him when he had blocked his face from her, and they all still hurt. However, he did have a lot to think about now, things he never really considered before. "We'll see, Arnold. I'm not making any promises."

"I didn't think you would." Arnold smiled, hoping his words got through. "And one more thing…"

"Now you're asking for a lot." Harold scowled, but was joking.

"Yeah I know," Arnold laughed a little. "Sorry about that. Could you please not tell people about my relationship with her? I don't want any more… instances like this one…" Arnold asked, scratching the back of his head.

Puzzled at the favor, Harold decided he had already bit off enough information to chew on later. "Yeah, sure, I guess. But this favor I'm doing just for you Arnold, Okay?"

Knowing it was the best answer Harold probably could have given, Arnold grinned. "Thanks a lot! I gotta be heading home now; I know my parents are probably waiting for me. See ya later, Harold!" He waved before turning around and walking in the direction of his house.

Harold remained on the stoop for an extra minute before getting up and heading back inside. He could already smell that his mother was preparing dinner and his stomach growled like a hungry bear. "Oh… I'm so hungry!" He whined as he headed towards the kitchen. "Mom! Is the food almost done?!"

"This is it?" Gerald asked his older brother as him and Phoebe started at the studio. There in front of them was a pretty shabby empty room with a small pop up area that resembled a stage and some dusty multi colored spot lights over head. There was much evidence that this place had been unused for quite some time.

"Well yeah. I didn't say I was going to get you something flashy and expensive." Jamie-O gave a queer face to his younger brother. "Be grateful you got this!"

"I am grateful!" Gerald stated, looking to Phoebe for some help.

"Yes. This is better than nothing, I suppose." Phoebe approved with a forced thumbs up. "Thank you so much for your help, Jamie-O."

The tall dark male let out a snort before turning away from them both. "At least your girlfriend has some manners, unlike you little bro." He remarked as he headed for the exit. "I'll let Fuzzy Slippers know you like it. Now let's get going, I have a date within the hour and I still gotta shower…"

The couple looked to each other, then back at the sad sight. It was better than nothing and it was all they could really hope for at this point. Quickly they followed the older male out of the studio and into the dank alley which his car was parked. There were a probably a few reasons to why this studio wasn't used often, and the location was probably a big factor. It was located a long way downtown in an area that no one would be found in alone at night. Rats screamed and scampered into a dumpster a few feet ahead as they opened the car door with a loud screech.

"I really gotta oil these hinges…" Jamie-O said, making a mental note before climbing in the driver's seat. "Come on, you two! I don't have all day."

Phoebe looked around and took note of the area, frowning to her significant other. "Rhonda isn't going to be happy…" she mentioned.

Gerald signed and shook his head in defeat. "Well this is the best we could get. If she doesn't like it, I'm sure her parents could set her up with something better, right?"

"I suppose that's true." Phoebe smiled, however the thought of forcing Rhonda into an area like this was also amusing "Even if this is a little short notice."

One thing she seemed to inherit from having Helga as a best friend was a cynical sense of humor that Gerald rarely got to see, however it only made him even fonder of her. Smiling, he brushed his finger under her chin. "Don't be mean." He playfully scolded before leading her to the back door and opening it up. "Lady's first~"

She placed a hand on her mouth in attempt to hide her grin then followed him into the car.

Jamie-O groaned in both frustration and impatience. "You guys are not on a date right now. Get a room!"

Immediately Gerald turned to her, to see her blush a deep crimson and look rather uncomfortable. "Sorry…" He whispered to her regretfully, knowing full well that she wasn't too into public view of affection and his brother's remark only reminded her why. He waited for her to nod, then closed the door for her and climbed into the front seat. Jamie-O turned on his car stereo and began to tap on his steering wheel to the beat, while the younger two sat in silence the rest of the ride back to his house.

As they pulled up to the Johansson residence, Gerald turned down his brother's music and popped his head in the back seat. "You wanna stay for dinner?" He asked hopefully with a grin.

Still feeling a bit shy from earlier, Phoebe turned her head. "I'm not sure if that would be a good idea. I still have to study for the upcoming weeks test on algebra…"

"Yeah but you have the whole weekend to be cooped up in your room studying. How about having some fun for a change?" He suggested, still remaining optimistic. "You almost never come over and my mom really likes you!"

The thought of his family taking a shine to her, did make her feel a little better on the inside and his point was valid. "Alright, if you don't mind, that is." She nodded and turned to the older boy. "Thank you for the ride, Jamie-O. Your car is pretty rad."

"Absolutely no problem, little lady!" Jamie-O smiled as he gave her thumbs up. "Anything for my baby brothers girlfriend."

"Jamie-O!" Gerald whined as he shoved his door open and instantly let out Phoebe.

"Tell mom that I probably won't make it for dinner, and will also probably be home pretty late." Jamie-O insisted as he rolled down his window to get a better view of the two.

"Yeah, yeah…" Gerald sighed. "Whatever. Enjoy the date." He said with a dull tone as he took Phoebe's hand and guided her up to his house.

The screech of his brothers car leaving the parking lot was probably music to his ears as Gerald looked down at the small girl. "I'm really sorry about what my stupid brother said." He said apologetically. "He's just like that."

"No need to apologize, Gerald. Although I'm an only child, I can only imagine how older siblings might be. I'm sure he meant well." Phoebe said with a small smile, hoping to ease the poor boy's worries.

Gerald opened his front door and guided her inside. They were suddenly met with the loud sound of the television from the living room as well as his mother shouting at someone, presumably his little sister. Knowing that he didn't need to make Phoebe feel even more uncomfortable, he figured bringing her up to his room would be the safest bet. "You wanna see my room?" He asked politely. "I don't think you've ever seen it before."

The thought of going up to his room was a little intimidating, but since he was her host, she felt compelled to accept the offer. "S-sure." She squeaked out. "Lead the way…"

With much fervor, Gerald ran up his stairs and headed on to his room; Phoebe closely in step. Jumping over and kicking some of his sister's toys that lay about the upstairs hallway, Gerald could feel that his excitement was getting the best of him and knew it was time to act cool. "This is it!" He stated as he grabbed the doorknob. With ease, he swung the door open to reveal his bedroom. "Welcome to my casa de' Gerald~" He sang walking into the room.

Phoebe glanced in for a second before gradually stepping in. His room was rather normal for a boy his age, although cleaner then she had expected. The bed was made, a small rug on the floor with maybe a few socks lying around. A jersey hung on his wall as well as some Pop Daddy posters.

Her silence was beginning to eat at him so he gracefully glided across the floor and posed with his arms wide open. "Whatcha think? Pretty cool, right?"

His actions made her chuckle. "Yes, it's very cool" she smiled as she sat down on his bed, giving her a little bounce.

Gerald blushed and scratched the back of his head before sitting down next to her. He had never had a girl in his room before and he wasn't really sure if he was even allowed to do that but what his parents didn't know wouldn't hurt them, right? Not knowing what to do or what to say, he decided small talk was probably the best course.

"So what do you think will happen tomorrow? Think that girl is gonna show?" He asked casually.

Placing her finger on her chin, Phoebe sat and thought about it for a moment. "I don't think Rhonda would have lied to us about her agreeing to the proposition. I expect we will all gather at that studio one way or another, she will show up and we'll take the pictures."

"You still wanna take the pictures with me?" Gerald asked as he began looking around his room. He got up and began to rummage through his desk.

"Yes, I suppose so. Rhonda will probably be telling the girl how to pose anyway." Phoebe answered, now curious at what he was doing. "What are you looking for?"

With a loud "Aha!" Gerald pulled out two old school cameras. "My dad gave me these to use for tomorrow. Said they were his from back in his college days or something." He said as he handed one of them to her.

The camera was heavier than she had expected. The lens was large and smooth with some circular dimpled outer ridge that you could turn. Putting her eye through the looking glass, she did he best to focus on one of his posters. "Oh!" She exclaimed with interest.

Her excitement made the boy smile even wider. Impressing her was always something he enjoyed doing and he did it as much as possible. In fact, he couldn't remember a time when he wasn't trying to get her attention in his own way. Being cool was only cool when someone looked your way, after all. The thought made him think back to beginning of fourth grade, when he first started to notice her. She was always the quietest person in class, with her nose in some sort of book. What was she reading? What did she like? Why did she always keep to herself? What made such a nice quiet girl become best friends with someone like Helga G. Pataki? It was like Phoebe was a mystery all bundled up in a small sack.

"Hey Phoebe?" He called out to her quietly, not wanting to disturb her from her new toy.

Peeking out from the lens, she focused on him. "Yeah?"

"I've always been meaning to ask… And please don't take this the wrong way or anything, but out of all the kids growing up, why did you choose Helga to be best friends with?" He asked, now feeling a little nervous having actually asked out loud.

Placing the camera down on her lap, Phoebe tilted her head at the interesting question. "I could ask you why you're best friends with Arnold, as well." She retorted, although understanding full well where he was coming from. This had not been the first time she had been asked this.

"Arnold? Well…" He began to think. "I guess he's just a really chill guy. Easy to get along with and we have a lot of the same interests."After having said that, it only made his question to her even more relevant. "Come to think of it, do you and Helga even have anything in common?"

Phoebe frowned and shuffled her feet. "A little… not very much though."

"So how did you become best friends with someone you hardly have anything in common with?" He asked again, placing his hand on top of hers to show her that he wasn't trying to come after her or anything.

Tilting her head back, Phoebe sighed and began thinking of the easiest way to explain it. "Have you ever heard the term opposites attract?" Gerald nodded and she continued. "It's basically like that. A yin and yang, so to speak. Black and white tends to complement each other as they are complete opposites. You cannot have light without darkness, nor darkness without light. Understand?"

"Sort of…" He answered although still admittedly puzzled. "I get the concept but I don't get how that actually applies in friendships."

"Helga is loud and mean in situations that need it where I couldn't even if I tried. I can calmly and rationally think a situation through where, at times, she couldn't even if she tried. With us both working together, we can overcome a lot of situations where if we were on our own, we'd be lost." Phoebe explained. "Let me give you a prime example to work with." She then handed him the camera so she could concentrate on her story. "I first met Helga around the same time I met all of you; in preschool. Back then, because I was so shy and quiet, no one really bothered to talk to me and be my friend… which really made me sad. One day, while we were all eating snack at our table, Helga came over to me and told me she was sitting next to me. At first I was pretty scared, but I let her as I couldn't do much else. Suddenly she began to talk to me, well… more like ranting. She started complaining about how she hated it there and everyone else too. Quietly I nodded and listened as she continued until she got so loud that our teacher had to tell her to be quiet."

"I think I might remember that, actually." Gerald spoke up.

"After snack time, when no one else was looking, she came back over to me and thanked me for listening to her. At first I was pretty confused since I had done nothing significant but I could see she was being sincere. After that day, she always sat with me and ranted on and on and on and I just listened and if anyone ever tried to take my toys or my food, she would beat them up for me." She concluded with a heavy breath but a content smile.

"Wow." Gerald gasped, not sure of what to make of the story. "I had no idea."

"So to answer your question more plainly… We're best friends because we help complete each other. Each of our strengths is the others weakness. Not to mention we were both pretty lonely when we met each other. No one wanted to be her friend because she was mean and no one wanted to be mine because I was too quiet." Phoebe shrugged with a small smile. "That's about it."

"Me and Arnold just clicked when we met and been friends ever since. Nothing really deep like that." Gerald mentioned, feeling a little bland. He could understand why they were friends now, even though he didn't quiet see Helga's appeal but he let the subject rest.

Suddenly his door was pushed wide open, causing the couple to jump and in the doorway was his little sister. "Ooooooh!" She called out in a taunting manner. "I'm telling Mom that you have a giiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirl in your room!"

Gerald waved his hands back in forth in a defensive manner before placing them together in a praying motion. "Timberly, please don't…" he pleaded gingerly, causing the young girl the smirk.

"Maybe I won't IF you do what I want~" The young girl suggested as she tapped her foot against the door, swinging it gently back and forth.

Gerald cocked his eye brow and glared at the girl. "What do you want?"

"You could… do my homework for me?" She smiled.

"What kind of homework is it?" Phoebe asked, interested.

Timberly huffed as she recalled it and crossed her arms. "Math. I hate math. It's always so confusing!"

"Then how about instead of Gerald doing your homework for you, I help you with your homework? I'm actually quite good at math, myself." Phoebe suggested with a gentle smile.

Her words warmed the young spunky girl's heart and a large smile widened across her mouth. "Really?!" She asked excitedly. "You would do that for me?! Gerald never does anything nice for me. He's a terrible big brother!"

Hearing her words made the young man roll his eyes but his girlfriend giggled. "Then we have a deal."

"We better get going downstairs anyway before Mom finds out on her own." Gerald said as he stood up and made his way towards his little sister, waving to Phoebe.

"Coming!" She replied before hopping up and following them both out the door.

Dinner at Gerald's house was probably one of the most exciting dinners that Phoebe had had in a long while. With all the interesting conversation and back and forth between the lively, loving family, it only made Phoebe wish she had siblings of her own.

As dinner concluded and the Johansson's said their goodbyes to Phoebe, she couldn't help but hope she could come back and experience all that again another time. They made it a point to let her know that she was always welcome over for dinner, and Phoebe happily agreed.

"Tonight was very fun, thank you, Gerald." Phoebe spoke as he started to walk her home.

"Really? I figured that my family might get on your nerves or something." Gerald responded, a little shocked but relieved to hear her feelings.

"No, not at all. " She reassured him, accepting his hand as he offered it to her. "Dinner at my house is rather dull. The only things we ever talk about are what I'm learning in school or how my parents are doing at their jobs, nothing like at your house."

Squeezing her hand lovingly, Gerald smiled as he tried to imagine their dinners. "Maybe one day I can eat at your place."

"Maybe." Phoebe nodded. "Father has taken an interest in you since I confirmed our statues, as well as my Mother thinks you're charming."

"Charming, huh?" Gerald laughed to himself. It was something he always liked to hear.

"Indeed. I find you quite charming myself." Phoebe added as she looked up at him. "As well as funny, smart and very brave."

All of the compliments began to swim in his head as his cheeks glowed a bright pink. "Y-you really think all that, huh?"

"I do." Phoebe nodded, feeling a bit accomplished that her compliments made him embarrassed. "I'm very fortunate to have you as my boyfriend."

It felt like steam was about to start shooting out of his ears; Gerald was so enamored. Shaking his head in order to control himself, he peered down at her. "Thanks, Phoebe. I'm really happy that I'm with you too."

They eventually reached her house and quickly Phoebe graced her boyfriend's cheek with a kiss before waving goodbye and entering her house. Squealing with all the feeling she had done well to conceal, she began to jump around.

"Phoebe? Is everything okay?" She could hear her mother ask from another room.

"Yes, Mother!" Phoebe called back. "I'm home!"

"Okaerinasai," Her father replied as he emerged from the living room. "How was your day out?"

"Father!" Phoebe called out to him happily before embracing him. "It was fun!" She replied before taking a step back. "Gerald's family is really very nice. I hope you meet them one day."

Nodding, Kyo placed his hand softly on his daughters shoulder. "As do I. Unfortunately, work has been quite exhausting and I do not have much free time but the moment I have a chance, I'll be sure to let you know so we can set up a date."

"I'm so happy, Father!" She squealed again, unable to hold it back causing his father to laugh.

"I can see that! Now go on and get some reading in before bed. I know you don't have school tomorrow but-"Kyo started but was cut off.

"If one is to succeed, one must earn it." Phoebe finished his sentence and nodded. "I know, father."

Her father gleamed with pride as he nodded and let go of her. "Very good."

Phoebe then ran upstairs and began her nightly routine with images and memories of her night with Gerald still hot on her mind. Tomorrow was going to be a very important day, even if it wasn't for her. Ever since Helga's family had been forced to move out of their house, Phoebe had worried heavily on Helga's mental stability as well as her families. Any chance on her home life improving was a good reason for Phoebe to give it her all.

As she finished up, Phoebe grabbed her cordless phone and began to punch in Helga's phone number. It rang and rang a few times before someone had answered, causing a loud noise in poor Phoebe's ear.

"I said I GOT IT, BOB!" She heard Helga yell away from the phone. "Hello?"

"Helga!" Phoebe answered happily. "How are you?"

A silence ensued and Phoebe could hear that Helga was scuffling on the other end. "Hold on a minute, Pheebs I gotta get somewhere more private." Helga whispered in an angry tone.

Assuming that she was still near her parents, Phoebe waited patiently. "Waiting!"

On the other end of the phone, Helga had run from the show room off into her own room and slammed the door. "Crimity! Sorry about that, Phoebe. Bob won't let this phone out of his sight ever since we handed out those flyers. He seems to think that orders are gonna fly in any day now or something, so expect this conversation to be shorter than normal."

"I see…" Phoebe frowned, as there was a whole lot she wanted to tell her best friend.

Helga flopped on her bed and let out a loud but happy sigh. "Oh Phoebe!" She called out full of passion. "Today was wonderful!"

"Why? What happened?" Phoebe asked eagerly. Although she had her own stories to share, it was always customary to let Helga get hers out of her system first.

Helga then took a large breath and began to swoon out loud, telling all of the blissful details of her and Arnold's conversation before he parted, causing Phoebe to smile brightly on the other end. "I never thought in my wildest dreams that he would say such words to me, Phoebe! I'm almost convinced that I dreamed it all and that it never happened but it DID!"

"I'm very happy for you, Helga! I knew that good things would happen if you opened yourself up to him. As much as I am honored to be one of the sole people in existence to be able to see you as you are, I am definitely excited to share my position with him." Phoebe replied as she crossed her legs on her bed and got comfortable.

"I'm not dreaming, right?" Helga asked, still all goofy and in love.

"No, I assure you this is real." The Japanese girl replied, holding back a giggle. "I am also proud to announce that Gerald and I also had a wonderful evening."

Despite being in her own little world, Phoebe's words dragged her out of her field of flowers she was dancing in and Helga became alert. "Oh? You can tall hair boy have a special date or something? I thought it was a little weird that you guys just randomly up and bailed on us."

"No, it wasn't really a date." Phoebe clarified, a little hurt that Helga thought she left them for her own selfish reasons. "We figured that you two needed your time alone so we headed in our own direction. It just so happened that Gerald had agreed to see the studio later that day and wanted my input."

"Alright so then what was so special that you're all ga-ga about him right now?" Helga asked, a little skeptical.

Filling her own self up with passion as Helga had moments ago, Phoebe let her back fall on the bed and she began to tell her own tale of the evening. Leaving nothing left unsaid, the girl excitedly rolled around on her bed and expressed her feelings to her best friend.

"And then I kissed him on the cheek and hurried on inside!" She finished with a sigh. "I know it's a little hypocritical, however I don't feel like I've reached that stage in our relationship to where I can just explode with excitement in front of him. I just had to run to a private setting, and call you!"

Helga had probably never heard her best friend so happy before, and inside she also glowed with pride for her friend. "Well then. I guess we both had a really good night."

"Indeed. I wonder what tomorrow will bring?" Phoebe asked, feeling a little philosophical.

Helga chucked on the other end of the line. "I dunno, Pheebs but if things continue like this… I feel like the only way is up."


	10. Chapter 10

The wind had picked up by the time Arnold got close to his house and he quickly held his coat closed before opening his front door and rushing in, almost tripping on the random assortment of animals trying to get out. He shook his head back and forth, causing his hair to go back into place. Immediately he could feel his body begin to warm up as he took off his jacket and hung it up.

"Is that you, son?" He heard his father call from another room.

"Yeah, Dad!" Arnold called back before searching for him.

Arnold found his parents waiting for him in the living room, both sitting next to each other and holding hands. The sight made the boy's heart warm up, as he could only imagine the love they shared.

"Have a seat, Arnold. We were hoping to talk to you for a while." His Mother said while gesturing to the chair besides them.

He could feel a little concern begin to rise up with in him but he sat down and looked at them curiously. "What's up?" He asked, hoping whatever it was, wasn't a big deal.

They both looked at one another with an uneasy smile, and then turned back to their son. "Nothing much. How was school?" Asked Miles.

Arnold mulled over his day silently before opening his mouth to speak. "It was alright." He replied weakly. "Although, I had a bit of trouble but it was resolved quickly."

"Did it have anything to do with yesterday?" Miles frowned.

"Your father told me about the incident yesterday, Arnold. I hope everything is alright." Stella added with a look of worry.

"It is, for the most part…" Arnold started, resting his back against the seat. "Helga and I were called to the Principals office and got questioned, as were a few of my friends… who then sorta blamed us for it." He could see that his parent's expressions only got dimmer as he explained. "But don't worry! I handled it and got everything sorted out. Everyone is okay and friends again."

"Well that's good, honey." Stella said, placing her warm loving hand on his knee.

"Yeah! We're so glad we have such a good and -" Miles started before stopping and choosing his next word carefully, "mature son."

The compliment made Arnold brighten up a little. "Thanks Mom and Dad." He smiled. "That really means a lot."

Stella then patted her husband on the leg and stood up. "I'll leave this conversation to you and help Mom upstairs with the cleaning." She said softly.

Miles gave the woman a look of horror as she began to walk away. "A-alright…" He said with an unsure tone, causing Arnold to tilt his head in confusion. He watched his wife walk out of the room and sighed before stiffening up his posture.

Arnold knew there was something wrong. "What happened, Dad?"

Miles felt his mouth go dry as well as his heart begin to beat rapidly. "Uhhh… how to start…" he whispered to himself. "Arnold," He began strongly, "There comes a time in every boys life when he needs to have a… heart to heart with his old man." He looked to his son and gave an empowered look. "Do you understand, son?"

Feeling like he knew where this talk was headed, Arnold gulped and nodded. "I guess? But if this is about the bird and the bees Dad, Grandpa already had this talk with me."

A sense of relief washed over the adult male and he exhaled loudly. "Oh thank goodness!" He then glanced over at his son and saw his awkward expression. "I mean, that's good to hear." He corrected himself and straightened his posture again. "But that's not exactly what we're gonna talk about son. How about we head up to your room to continue this conversation? I know this can be a high traffic area sometimes."

Nodding, Arnold got up and led his father to his room. As they reached the second floor, they passed Stella and Gerty who simply giggled and continued their chores, causing Miles to groan and Arnold to feel even more unsure of himself. What's going on that's making Dad so nervous? He wondered as he pulled the sting on his stairs, causing them to gradually fall down.

As they arrived in his room, Arnold sat himself on his red couch and let his father sit next to him. The air was tense and awkward.

"Alright…" Miles started up again; remember the coaching his father had given him a few hours earlier. He turned to Arnold and analyzed his face a moment. "I guess it's time to begin…"

"Dad, if you're not ready we can always talk another time." Arnold said reassuringly as he placed his hand on his dad's shoulder.

"Thanks son. I appreciate giving me a way out of this but your mother and I have agreed that this needs to happen sooner rather than later…" Miles smiled, "And besides I gotta get used to having these sorta talks soon anyway."

Understanding as much as he could, Arnold nodded and let the man continue on with his topic.

Miles began to look around Arnold's room and noticed the intricate design of it all. He had been in the room many times but now that he was procrastinating, he felt the needs to notice all the technology and work that had went into it all. "I remember when this room was just a crib and some wall decals…" He sighed.

"Focus, Dad." Arnold said, reminding him of his purpose.

"Right, right…" Heaving a heavy sigh, Miles turned to his young son and cleared his throat. "Okay. No more stalling!" He said with wavering confidence. "As I said before, there comes a time when every son needs to have this talk with his father. Your grandpa had this walk with me, his dad with him, and so on." He started again, ignoring his inner voice that screamed at him to stop while he was ahead. "Now, I know you're still young but you're going to be twelve soon…. Very soon."

"Next month." Arnold clarified.

"Yes… Speaking of which," Miles got off track again. "What do you usually do for your birthday? Do you have a big party with all your friends or have some sorta small dinner with your grandparents?"

Arnold sighed as it seemed his dad would do anything to get away from the subject. "Usually Grandma makes my favorite dinner and bakes me a cake. I normally do things with my friends a few days before my actual birthday." He answered calmly. "Now, continue with the topic…"

"Sorry, good to know though!" Miles blushed due to having an eleven year old boy scold him. "So your grandpa already gave you the birds and the bees talk, right?"

"Uh huh." Arnold nodded in response and crossed his arms. "I know how babies are made, Dad."

"Good! Now our topic is of a similar nature… It's about your feelings son." His father gulped.

Arnold raised his eyebrow and became even more curious. "What do you mean?"

"I mean…" Miles said before thinking of a simple way to explain. "Everyone has these things called hormones inside their body and they do a whole lot, like make your body grow and make you feel certain ways. Have you learned about them in school yet?"

Arnold shook his head and uncrossed his arms. "No, not yet."

"I suspect you probably will pretty soon as you're of that age where your body starts producing all sorts of different ones. They will start your body in a new phase called…." Miles stopped and closed his eyes as if his next word would be the death of him. "Puberty."

"What's that?" Arnold asked, tilting his head a little confused at why his dad was so nervous about a science lesson.

"Puberty is… when things start changing for you, son." Miles opened his eyes and faced his boy wholeheartedly. "Both boys and girls get it but we're only gonna talk about us guys because girls a whole other topic we just don't need to get into."

Now far more interested in what his father had to say, Arnold straightened himself up and nodded. "I guess this is why Mom wanted you to have this conversation with me instead of her?" he asked intuitively.

"Correct…" His father replied, feeling betrayed as though his wife threw him into a shark tank. "So when us men hit puberty, a bunch of weird things start happening to our bodies. Our voices start to break like if we had a bad cold and begin to get deeper. We start to have hair grow in weird places like having a mustache or beard…"

"Kinda like how grandpa has hair growing out of his ears?" Arnold asked.

"Exactly! Although that's not from puberty is more from just growing old." Miles said with a laugh. "Aside from the obvious body changes, you'll also start…. Feeling different." He could feel his body begin to sweat and Miles then pulled on the collar of his shirt to get a little cooler.

"Do you want me to open a window?" Arnold asked as he got up and walked towards his half moon shaped window.

"Sure son that might be a little helpful. Not sure why it got so hot in here…" He murmured.

Arnold opened the window and peered outside. It had gotten dark and there was a moist breeze that came through telling him that it was probably going to rain tonight. He then turned to his father and smiled. "Better?"

Miles nodded and patted the seat next to him and waited for his son to sit back down before continuing the dreaded talk. "So about these new feelings…" He began softly. "It's safe to say that your friend Helga is your girlfriend, right?" He asked as he waited for Arnolds nod before continuing. "Do you feel anything…. Specific when you're around her?"

Thinking for a moment, Arnold crossed his legs. "Well at first I used to feel pretty annoyed back when she used to pick on me but now…" He continued to think of all those new feelings he had when he was with her. "Now I just get this really warm feeling. Like, I get happy and content sorta like everything is working out. When I see her happy, I get ten times happier! When I've hurt her feelings… like the other day, I get really upset. It's almost as if she amplifies my feelings, if that makes sense." He explained, looking thoughtfully at his dad.

Knowing full well the feeling that Arnold described, Miles smiled. "Yes, it makes perfect sense." He replied. "However, that's not quite the feeling I was getting at…" His voice trailed off causing Arnold to become a little worried.

"That's the only thing I can think of though." Arnold frowned, feeling as though he wasn't helping his father's situation at all.

Seeing his son frown only made Miles feel worse. He had never given a 'dad talk' before and felt as if there was some other way he could go about it without sounding weird. If Stella were the one having this conversation, I'm sure she would have gotten all scientific about this. Science was always her strong suit but I don't know if that would help. He thought was he patted his son on the head, hoping to cheer him up. "Don't worry, Arnold. You'll understand soon enough, I'm sure." He said, feeling himself begin to sweat again but smiled anyway. "The feeling is a lot different than just happiness. It's more like…" Miles pondered of all the things Arnold might understand in comparison. "It's more like going on a roller coaster for the first time!"

This explanation only confused Arnold further. "Huh? But why would Helga make me feel like that?"

Miles hung his head in defeat and let out a soft groan. "Maybe not exactly like that but it's something similar…" He quietly breathed out. "To put it bluntly, she'll make you really excited and nervous but in a way you've never felt before." He then turned his head and glanced at the boy. "Do you get what I mean?"

Arnold gave his father a concerned but frustrated look, then shook his head. "Sorry…"

"Okay, how about this…" Miles said as he stood up and walked to the window for some air. "If your grandpa gave you the story about the bird and the bees then you're aware of what the bees' purpose is, right?" He asked, hoping this might clarify things a little.

"Sure. The bee's job is to carry pollen to the flowers to make them bloom and it's a man's job to carry his cells to a woman to reproduce." Arnold smiled, hoping his answer was the one his dad wanted.

"And did he explain exactly how a man does his?" Miles squinted his eyes at his son from across the room, nervously.

Arnold brought his hand up to his chin and recalled the talk. "Actually, right when he was about to Grandma walked in and interrupted us. He told me that we would have to take a rain check on finishing the talk but it never happened."

Feeling his knees get weak, Miles stumbled forward a little before regaining composure causing Arnold to stand up alarmed. Putting his hand out, Miles halted the boy and shook his head. "I'm fine! I… was just surprised, is all."

"Are you sure?" Arnold asked. "You could lie down if you're feeling sick."

"No… No. I'm fine." Miles repeated, completely embarrassed at how he was handling this. "Leave it to Dad to completely leave out the most important part of the story though…" Taking in a deep breath, the man let out another groan then walked over to his son and sat down again. "Arnold, do you know the distinct difference between a man and a woman?"

Arnold blushed and replied. "Yes."

"Okay. Are you starting to see why I'm a little awkward with this talk now?" Miles sympathetically smiled.

"Y-yes… I am starting to see where you're going with this." Arnold admitted before scratching his hand and fidgeting.

"To use a… better euphemism, think of us men as a key and women as a lock. We basically unlock babies…. So to speak." Miles sweated and grimaced at his own words.

Arnold's face began to turn a dark shade of red and decided not to speak. His imagination went wild with thoughts he had never had before and he shook his head to make them disappear.

"I'm glad to see my words got through." The father stated, feeling a little giddy at his accomplishment. "It a little embarrassing, I know… Like I said earlier, we all have to have this talk one day and it's never ever easy."

Arnold applied his hand on his forehead and tried to clear his head. "Okay so what does making babies have to do with puberty?"

"It's because of those hormones I told you about before…" Miles explained slowly. "Some of those hormones are made specifically for reproduction and they start forming at around your age." His words caused Arnold's head to shoot right up and immediately Miles regretted his sentence and reacted. "I didn't mean that you would want to start having kids now!" He added. "I mean your body is getting ready for the day you decide you want to have them. So years, years into the future. Many years."

Although he could still feel the panic that had just surged within him, Arnold did his best to understand his father's words and tried to calm down. "So you're saying that Helga is going to make me feel some type of way that makes me want to have babies?" He asked with a hoarse voice.

"It's… definitely possible," Miles replied, turning to not look at his poor embarrassed child. "If not her, then someone else someday."

"And… How will I know?" Arnold asked, beginning to get lightheaded from the topic and almost regretting the question in fear of the answer.

"Oh don't worry son… You're body will tell you." Miles said with a high pitched voice followed by a shutter.

This made Arnold more than uncomfortable and he began to slouch in his chair. Silence consumed the two men and both had wished that the talk had never happened.

"Sorry buddy." Miles sincerely said, turning to the awkward boy.

Arnold could do nothing but stair off into space. "It's okay." He managed out.

Knowing that his son was going to need some time alone to sort out his thought, Miles got up and stretched. "Do you have any questions before I go downstairs and drowned myself in some ice cream to feel better about all of this?"

It was if his father's words had breezed through him and he shook his head instinctively.

"Alright then, I'm gonna head down. Your mom will call you when dinner is ready." Miles said with a warm tone before exiting.

Unable to keep the images from bouncing around in his head, Arnold got up and began to pace. He had so much to think about and so much he didn't exactly understand but wouldn't force his dad to talk about further. He could only assume that he would understand when all those things mentioned would actually affect him. His voice changing, hair growing and… his body reacting in ways he could only assume and felt really weird about. "I need to distract myself…" He spoke, walking over to his stereo. Just before he could grab his remote and turn it on, his phone rang. At first the loud noise startled him, but he quickly picked it up and accepted this as a distraction instead.

"Hello?" He asked the unknown caller.

"Hey buddy, it's me!" A familiar voice spoke on the other end. "How's it hanging?"

"Oh Gerald…" He complained before forcing his body to sit down again. "Please tell me you have good news."

The other end got quiet as Gerald had now become very suspicious. "Uhhh… Sure man, I got good news. I saw the place we're gonna use to take the photos."

"How is it?" Arnold asked nervously.

"It's…" Gerald hesitated, not wanting to disappoint his friend. "It's a studio. It's small and kinda dirty but nothing a few hands can't fix up before that girl gets here. Not to mention we're not gonna be charged to use it since Fuzzy Slippers is the man. Jamie-O helped too."

Taking a much needed breath of fresh air, Arnold began to relax. "That's great to hear!" He exclaimed.

"What's got you all tense?" Gerald finally asked, "Did something bad happen after I left? You didn't have another fight with Helga again, did you?"

Arnold shook his head, even if his friend couldn't see. "No, we didn't have a fight. In fact, I got a bunch of things off my chest and felt really good. I even went over to Harold's and confronted him about Helga and everything."

He could hear his friend gasp on the other end. "You didn't get into a fight with Harold, did you?"

The suggestion made Arnold laugh. "No, Gerald. Harold and I actually had a rather productive talk. He's not gonna go out of his way to make fun of Helga or tell everyone in the school about us."

"Wow, how did you pull that one off?" Gerald asked, rather astonished to hear such news.

"I just got through to him." Arnold answered, feeling proud again. "He can be a pretty reasonable guy sometimes."

"Right. Whatever you say, man." Gerald responded flatly. "So if it's not that, then what happened? I know you pretty well Arnold and not much gets you stressed out."

Arnold let out a groan similar to what his father had done earlier and slouched back on his couch. "Honestly Gerald… I'd rather not talk about it, if that's okay."

Gerald got silent again as he considered situations that might have happened. "O-okay man. I respect that. So about this studio…"

Turning to the phones base, Arnold picked up the notepad and pen that rested next to it for notes. "Yeah, could you tell me the address? I'll have my grandpa bring me over. Also has Rhonda told you the time we're supposed to do this because she hasn't told me yet."

"Nah man, I haven't spoken to her. I figured she would have called you by now." Gerald replied, now a little concerned. Rhonda was always an informative person and for her to not call anyone was strange.

"I'll call her after we're done talking. So the address?" Arnold asked before listening to Gerald's response and jotting down the street. "Got it."

"Hey, I got more good news!" Gerald boasted as he lounged on his bed and put his feet up on his bed's foot frame.

"Oh yeah? Tell me about it." Arnold responded, happy that his friend was being so helpful in his time of need.

"Well…" The dark skinned boy began as he peered over to where Phoebe once sat; the camera still sitting her place. "After we checked out the studio, Phoebe came back to my place and we hung out a little, even had dinner with my parents!" He gleamed.

"Oh?" Arnold was a little surprised. Knowing Jamie-O's history with girls and his parents, he could hardly believe that the experience was a pleasant one. "Did anything cool happen?"

Feeling the blood begin to rush to his cheeks, Gerald began to replay the scenes of her in his room over in his head. "Yeah. I brought her to my room and we just chatted…" He replied wistfully.

"You… just chatted?" Arnold replied, a little skeptical considering his friends reaction.

"At first I was really nervous Arnold." Gerald continued. "I've never had a girl in my room before, well besides my family, and it was just…" He thought of his choice words. "It was crazy. Of course Timberly had to barge in and ruin it all but before that…" He let out at sigh, "My heart was pounding and I just felt… sorta weak, if that makes sense." Gerald finished, a little embarrassed that he had just admitted his intimate feelings with his best friend. The trust the two had between them was solid and Gerald knew he could count on Arnold to be discreet.

Gerald's description puzzled Arnold a bit. "I guess."

"Come on, man. You've had Helga in your room before." Gerald said, as he forced himself to sit up and concentrate. "You can't tell me that you didn't feel even a little bit nervous."

Thinking back to their union on the project, he did his best to recall even one situation when he felt what his friend had just described and frowned when he couldn't think of a single one. "The only time I felt nervous was when I was having a sensitive talk with her about… well, us. She can be pretty hard to talk to."

Gerald let out a laugh. "Well yeah, she's Helga. Not the easiest going person in the world. I'm surprised you'd able to have sensitive talks!" Gerald replied before laughing out loud again.

Ignoring his friends comment, Arnold continued to think about what Gerald had described, curious on if it had anything to do with his dad's discussion. "So what made you nervous about Phoebe being in your room?"

Gerald could feel his heart begin to pound at the question. "I dunno, man." He responded. "We were alone, in my room, Door shut, no one around, the girl I like is sitting next to me…" He explained, imagining what could have happened if Timberly hadn't interrupted. "I almost never get privacy in this house, let alone with her. Normally when we hang out, it's in a public place. Even our project was done in the public library." Suddenly a thought dawned on him, "You're telling me you've never felt nervous or awkward being alone with Helga? Are you sure you like her, man?"

"Yeah…" Arnold said as he thought of the moment's he had been alone with her, as well as the few kisses they had shared. He could feel his heart begin to beat faster as well as a warm calm wash over him. "I'm sure I like her."

"Didn't you guys work on the project at your place?" Gerald asked, now even more concerned.

"Yeah, so?" Arnold replied, knowing full well that his friend knew the answer to that question.

"And you mean to tell me, the both of you being alone in your bedroom didn't make you feel nervous or anything?" Gerald pressed on.

"Is that… bad?" Arnold asked, now also beginning to feel worried about his own feelings. "She makes me feel calm and happy, I thought that was normal."

"Well yeah it's good to feel calm and happy but…" Gerald wasn't sure what to say to his troubled friend. He had had many pep talks with his older brother about girls and feelings before and remembered that Arnold didn't have a relationship like that to lean on. "You've never just wanted to be alone with her, like purposely?"

"Only when we need to talk about private matters." Gerald heard his friend respond sadly.

Beginning to feel like there was no hope for his troubled friend, Gerald rolled over on his stomach and started at one of his basketball posters blankly, thinking of ways he could explain better. A deafening silence consumed the phone and Gerald knew that their conversation seemed to only make Arnold feel worse, rather than better. "Don't worry about it, Arnold." He said, trying to console his best friend. "I'm sure you'll understand soon. I'd explain it better but… I dunno, it's just kinda hard. It's more like something you gotta experience."

Now completely certain that his father's topic and Gerald's feelings were linked, Arnold could only feel like he was missing out on something very important. "You mean like an excited and nervous urge you just have with her that you can't explain?" He suggested.

"Yes! Exactly!" Gerald jumped up. "I knew you understood what I meant!"

"I gotta go, Gerald. I'll talk to you later." Arnold said sadly, becoming overwhelmed with a depression.

"Huh? What? Why?" He could hear how confused his friend was on the other end, but decided it was best not to continue forward.

"I just have a lot to think about. Sorry Gerald." Arnold replied and he hung up the phone.

Arnold's head began to spin and he felt as heavy as lead. All of his feelings started to just become confusing. Was weird for not understanding what both his father and best friend said? Would being alone with Helga really make him feel some unexplainable feeling of being excited but nervous? If so, what would he do? How would she react? Was it a good or bad thing? All these questions were never ending and finally Arnold turned on his music to lull him back to sanity before having to call Rhonda.

What was only intended to relax him, made Arnold fall into a deep sleep. Curled up on his couch, he began to dream…

Sitting at her desk two seat in front of him, Arnold watched as Helga scribbled on her paper. He could see she was frustrated and presumed it was probably the school work. Looking around them, he noticed that oddly no one was in the class room with them. "Where did everyone go?" He asked her as he rose from his seat and walked next to her desk. She didn't respond and he looked at what she was doing. On her paper looked to be a poem of some sorts, however before he could actually read any words, she snatched it away from him and scowled.

"Hey! I never said you could read this!" She yelled, placing the paper where he couldn't see.

"Sorry, Helga. Why are we here alone?" He asked as he looked around again.

"I don't know, Football head, this is your dream." She replied in her harsh tone, before folding up her paper and slipping it in her desk. "And don't you dare think to go in my desk, either!"

My… dream? He wondered, looking at her as if she could answer his question. He then walked over to the classroom door and attempted to open it, however it wouldn't budge. Using all his strength, he began to tug at it harder and harder.

"It's not gonna open, stupid." He heard Helga say from behind him. "Its locked."

He turned his head to her to see she was no longer wearing her usual attire but adorned in her gym uniform. His eyes fell on her body and he silently admired her small curves through her tight clothes.

"Why don't you take a picture, it'll last longer! Sheesh!" She grunted as she stood there and crossed her arms.

"Why are we locked in our classroom? And why did you change clothes?" He asked, now becoming increasingly confused.

"Do I look like I have all the answers? Why don't you figure it out for yourself…" Helga said as she stood up and walked over to him.

He watched as she moved quietly across the room and stood next to him. He could feel his heart began to beat as well as becoming increasingly nervous. "What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" She asked in a smooth voice with a smirk on her face.

"We gotta get out of here." Arnold suddenly began to panic and ran over to the window. Outside he could see a bunch of his friends playing and he attempted to open the window, but to no avail.

"Crimity, you really are stupid aren't you, Football head." He heard her say but made no attempt to look at her.

What's wrong with me? Why do I want to get out so badly? He wondered; his heart picking up its pace as he could hear her talking towards him. Suddenly he felt her arms drape around his neck and she pulled her body close to his. He could smell the sweet scent of her shampoo and although it soothed his mind, it only made his heart pound harder. "I think I'm sick…" He mentioned quietly, not wanting to alarm her. "Y-you should probably stay away from me… for now…"

He could feel her nuzzle her head inside his hair. "Why are you fighting this so hard? The only reason we can't get out is because you don't want us to." She whispered in his ear, sending tons of nerves to react throughout his body.

"Helga… I really think you should go sit in your seat." He suggested nervously, feeling as though he was going to lose his mind or something. "I don't think I'm well."

"Oh you're perfectly fine!" She laughed; not moving an inch. "I thought this is what you wanted?" She said in a taunting voice.

"What? You're not making any sense. Why would I want to be locked in the classroom with you? Why would I want to feel sick?" He asked as he began to sweat. "I just don't want you to get sick too."

Feeling her hands move onto his chest, Arnold closed his eyes and focused on staying sane. "Please stop…" He begged.

"But I'm already sick." She spoke into his ear, "If that's what you wanna call it…"

His body began to feel as though he was sweating a fever, and the more she spoke, the worse it got. "Just accept it, Arnold. Just relax and give in…" She spoke in a loving manner, still holding him close and making circles with her index finger around the middle of his chest. "You don't really want me to stop, do you?"

Arnold swallowed hard, as he could feel his muscles begin to tense up. None of this makes any sense… what is she saying? What are we doing?! He thought deeply, desperately resisting something he couldn't quite describe. I gotta get out of here… He decided, putting his hands on top of hers to make her stop. He forced Helga to release him and turned to face her, however the moment he gazed into hers, his mind went blank.

Helga wrapped her arms around him again, pressing her chest up against his, causing him to take a step back and get pressed up against the window. He could feel the cool glass pressing against him and shivered. "Helga, what are you doing?!" He asked, finally regaining composure. "We're still kids!"

"Kids, huh?" She smirked, looking down at him. "I thought your dad said you were old enough to feel… this way?" She then placed her finger under his chin and traced it down to his neck before pulling at the collar of his shirt. "Gerald understands… Why don't you?"

Her words began to echo in his mind. He understands? He asked himself as her finger trailed further down to his chest. He could feel his breath becoming shallow as he looked into her eyes then down towards her lips. Suddenly, an overwhelming desire to kiss her struck him, but being with tremendous convictions, he still resisted. "We can't do this…" He whispered.

"This is just a dream, Football head. We can do whatever… you… want…" She replied, putting less and less space between them.

"It's… just a dream…?" He questioned, letting his resistance break down bit by bit.

Helga grabbed both of his wrists and pinned them to the windowsill. "That's right, bucko. What do you want to do?"

"What I want… to do?" His mind became hazier and hazier the longer he stared longingly at her lips. They'd already kissed many times and although most were forced by her, he never disliked it. Just let yourself go… He could hear himself say on the inside. It was if another entity had emerged within him. It's fine, right? He asked himself. "Its… fine?" Arnold spoke aloud, feeling a hunger grow inside of him he had never felt.

But before the last wall could crumble, Arnold was awaked with a holler by the sound of his grandmother coming into his room and turning off his music.

"You alright there Tex?" She asked him with a look of deep concern. "Looks like you were having a nightmare! I'll bet Calamity Sue was at it again, wasn't she?"

Quickly pushing the dream out of his head, Arnold got up and wiped the sweat that had formed on his brow. "Y-yeah Grandma… It was a nightmare…" He replied, deciding that that was the closest thing his dream could be called at the moment.

Placing the back of her hand on his forehead, his grandmother smiled. "Doesn't seem you have a fever." She then backed up and headed to the door. "Dinner is ready, you better come down before the cattle wanders off." She said kindly then exited.

Still short of breath, Arnold looked around; a little disorientated. Just what was that dream, and why did I have it? He asked himself, sitting down briefly. He then noticed his phone and remembered the call to Rhonda he still had to make. I better make this short and sweet; I know how much she likes to talk. He thought as he picked up the phone and dialed her number.

The home of Rhonda Wellington-Lloyd was quiet as she sat up inside her bedroom, scrolling through a new website she had discovered with people posting fashion ideas. As she scrolled, she made noises of interest before stopping at a picture of a woman in a dress. "My Gosh!" She yelled in horror. "How can you wear those colors together?! Orange and yellow? Really?" She then continued to scroll past the image with disgust. "Some people have absolutely no taste." Eventually she happened on a few more pictures she liked, which she quickly saved and placed in a folder she called "Fashion Ideas".

Suddenly she heard her cell phone go off, and she wheeled across her bedroom and quickly answered it. "Arnold! Darling! How are you?" She sang into his ear.

"Uhhh… Hey, Rhonda. I was just wondering what time that model was coming tomorrow? I also have the address of the studio we booked." He replied in his normal tone.

"Oh yes! Right!" Rhonda had actually forgotten all about their plans as her mind was elsewhere at the moment and she quickly rolled back over to her computer to pull up a conversation she had had with the girl which stated the time she'd be in town. "Marcy says that she plans on being in town around noon-ish. Tell me the address so I can send it to her."

Arnold then grabbed the notebook and read off the address while Rhonda typed it into the chat bar. "Alright, done!" She proudly stated, pressing send. "Anything else you needed?"

"No, that was about it. Thanks, Rhonda." Arnold said shortly, ready to hang up.

"So… You only called for that one thing?" She asked dully, a little disappointed that he didn't want to talk.

"Yeah. I'll see you tomorrow." He replied, hoping she would accept the end to their conversation.

"Wait!" The posh girl called to him before he could hang up. She remembered Nadine telling her about a fight that had happened in front of the school and figured if anyone knew about it, it was probably Arnold. "Did you hear about that fight after school?! I heard it got pretty heated."

Arnold frowned, knowing that gossiping with her would take the rest of the night. "Yeah… I was sort of a part of it…"

"YOU?!" Rhonda was shocked. "But you don't fight with anyone! Well… except Helga Pataki on occasions…"

Arnold rolled his eyes. "It was just an argument, Rhonda. Nothing big."

"That's all?" She insisted, doing her best to pry out more information. "I heard fists were thrown."

"Well you heard wrong, sorry." He was becoming annoyed. "It was just Sid jumping to conclusions like he normally does. I gotta go, my grandma is calling me for dinner. Goodnight, Rhonda." Arnold said quickly before hanging up on her.

The moment she heard the call end, Rhonda immediately looked at her phones screen and scoffed. "Wow, how rude!" She hissed before wheeling back over to her computer screen. "Some people just have absolutely no manners! And after I'm doing him a favor?! Ugh!" She then looked back at her phone. "I must absolutely call Nadine and tell her what he said!"

Arnold went down to dinner and was welcomed by all of his house members. One by one he greeted them before sitting down next to his mother.

"Dinner is served!" Gerty yelled as she clanged a metal rod against her triangle. "Dig in!"

Everyone at the table began to pass around dishes and talk amongst themselves, except Arnold who kept to himself in silence. After everyone had had their fill, excluding Oscar who whined about seconds and was immediately thrown out of the dining room my Phil, they all began clean up. Stella placed her arms around her son and gave him a big hug unexpectedly.

"You okay, honey? You've barely said a word all night." She asked before letting him go and proceeding to grab his half empty plate.

"Yeah Mom. I'm alright." He sighed, not looking up at her.

She knew the talk his dad had with him earlier wasn't the easiest thing, but didn't think it would affect him in such a manner. "Do you wanna talk about it? I may not look like it, but I can give pretty great advice!"

Arnold watched as most of the boarders exited the dining room as Miles gathering the dinner plates that Stella was handing to him. "No thanks…" He replied quietly.

This only caused her to frown along with him. "I know I maybe a girl but…" She started as she pet his hair softly down. "I can understand being confused too."

He knew she was trying to be nice, but Arnold simply shook his head. "I think this is something I just have to figure out on my own." He replied, hoping she would understand. Seeing his mother worry about him broke his heart just as much as him letting down his father. "Don't worry, Mom. I'll be fine."

His reassurance forced Stella to smile back at him before picking up the rest of the plates and heading towards the kitchen. "Well if you change your mind, you'll know where to find me." She spoke with determined voice before heading out.

Phil then walked back into the dining room, mumbling something about Oskar before noticing the table was already being disassembled. "Awwww!" He whined. "Diner is over and that blasted Oskar made me miss it." He then gasped dramatically when he saw Arnold still sitting in his seat with a melancholic look on his face. "What?! What are you still doing here, Short man? I thought you'd have run up to your room by now? And what's with the long face? Did someone steal your meat and potatoes?! It wasn't Oskar, was it?" He asked, trying to cheer the boy up.

"No, Grandpa. I'm fine." Arnold stated, now pushing himself away from the table and getting up. "I was just lost in thought."

"Oh? About what?" Phil asked, as he followed his grandson out of the dining room and into the front of the house.

Arnold stopped as he got to the stairs and looked at the old man. If there was anyone in the whole world the boy trusted, it was him. "Dad had a talk with me and it left me feeling really… weird, Grandpa." He admitted, feeling safe.

"Uh oh… it wasn't the talk was it? That one I tried having with you last year but then your Grandma distracted us and I never got back to it?" He asked, knowing full well what the talk was about.

"Yeah, Grandpa… that talk." Arnold shrugged, looking away still feeling really awkward about the whole thing.

Phil listened a little to the background noise of his house mates and decided it was alright to continue the conversation where they were standing. "Yeah that talk isn't the easiest in the world… Had your dad feeling pretty weird too, if I can recall." Phil said, resting his long and skinny arm on the stair's railing. "Why I remember his face turned so red, he nearly fell over!"

Arnold couldn't help but laugh as a similar thing had happened upstairs while he was trying to explain it himself. He began to imagine a younger version of his dad doing the same thing.

"Oh he wouldn't talk to me for days after that one. Reacted a lot worse than I imagined he would, which left me feeling rather lousy…" Phil continued. "I had hoped he would ask me questions since he was so confused but instead he harbored it all to himself until well… inevitable happened."

"The inevitable?" Arnold asked, now intrigued at the old man's story.

Phil smiled and shook his head slowly. "Yep! And when that happened, it all became clear to him and suddenly all was well in the world…"

"What the inevitable, Grandpa?" Arnold asked again, hoping this time he would get an answer.

Phil nervously chuckled. "Your feelings start to get the best of you and you start thinking irrationally. You start to get angry more often and suddenly girls no longer have cooties!"

"That's what the hormones do, right?" Arnold was beginning to feel a little less awkward as his grandfather seemed to have a way with words.

"That's right, Arnold. They get inside your head and start to give you all these weird thoughts and feelings. Some are icky and some are… well rather pleasant." His grandfather smiled then suddenly became shocked. "Didn't your dad tell you any of this?"

"Well… sorta." The boy said half heartedly, not wanting to talk down about his dad. "He just really wasn't sure what to say."

"Uh huh. Miles has never been good with words. Why it took him forever to admit he loved your mother! Always falling down and making a fool of himself, or giving up and running away." Phil explained as he scratched the stubble on his neck.

The thought of his dad always being clumsy made Arnold smile and soon his spirits were lifted once more. "Thanks Grandpa." Arnold said from the bottom of his heart. "I'm feeling a little better now."

Phil gasped and looked amused. "I'm glad, Arnold. Don't worry so much about what your dad told you. These things all come naturally and you kinda just… ride the wave! Go with the flow!" He then turned away and began to head back towards the kitchen. "Now you run along and I'll help your parents out with your grandma. I'm sure she's giving them a load of trouble with the 'ranch'" He said, ending with a mumble.

Arnold then ran up the stairs and into his bedroom. "Ride the wave…" He repeated as he gathered his things to take a shower. He had half thought of calling Helga to tell her the information Gerald had given him, but then shrugged and assumed Phoebe probably took care of that. He didn't need a reason to feel awkward again and he knew full well that hearing her voice after that dream would only dampen his mood. Just what was that dream about? He wondered, remembering her words. "Why are you fighting this so hard? The only reason we can't get out is because you don't want us to."

The boy made his way downstairs and into the community bathroom and began to disrobe. Why wouldn't I want us to get out? He continued to wonder as he started the shower. The noise of the water running relaxed him. He got into the water and let its steamy goodness run down his body, recalling something else she had said. "I'm already sick, if that's what you want to call it", what was that supposed to mean? He thought as he grabbed his shampoo bottle and squirted its contents into his hand before lathering it into his thick blonde hair. Did it mean she was feeling the same way I was? How would she know what I was feeling, though? None of his dream seemed to make sense, except one thing. She had stated over and over that it was his dream so he was willing it all to happen.

Arnold washed his body and finished up his shower. Beginning to dry his hair, images of his dream having periodic flashes into his mind every now and again. He could vividly recall how badly he wanted to kiss her and suddenly a dark crimson appeared across his face as he gazed into his own reflection. I wanted all that to… happen? He asked himself through his mind to the him in the mirror. I need to cool off… this bathroom is suffocating! Quickly, he gathered his belongings and rushed back up to his room where it was much cooler. He dropped his dirty clothes by the side of his door and quickly sat on his bed and willed his windows to pop open with a remote, causing this nights cool breeze to grace his skin. It was apparent that things were starting to become different in his mind, but was it a natural occurrence, or was it the work of both his Father and Gerald's influence? "Maybe it's just all in my head…" He said in a hushed voice. "Some sleep might do me some good. Besides, the sooner I sleep means the sooner tomorrow will come and I'll be that much closer to getting Helga her home back."

Although he feared what dream would come next, Arnold turned off his lights and quietly fell back asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

As the hours passed into the night, the moist air that threatened rain finally gave way to the swollen clouds above and it began to pour. Thunder rolled softly in the distance and echoed into the room of Phoebe as she tossed and turned in her bed. With a pain stricken face, she moaned softly and kicked off her blankets. The dream she was having was mixed with logical, realism, fantasy and pure absurdity. Nothing made sense and most of it was completely jumbled together as if it was some abstract painting that should be hanging in a museum somewhere. With a loud crack of lightening, Phoebe awoke and began to pant until she grasped reality. Disoriented, she grabbed her glasses off the night stand and looked at her alarm clock to see the time; 6:17am. Not having to get up until much later in the day due to the weekend and no impending school ahead, the girl lay back down and did her best to relax her body. Lately she hadn't been having very good sleep due to similar experiences. All of her dreams didn't have any rhyme or reason and more than half the time, when she woke up, she couldn't remember even a little bit of them other than the feelings she experienced during it all.

Beginning to feel a little queasy, she gradually pulled herself out of her bed and made it across the hall into her bathroom. She could hear her mother getting ready for work and did her best to be quiet and avoidable. Suddenly she heard the doorknob twist and turn and an attempt of entering the locked door.

"Phoebe honey, are you in there?" Her mother quietly asked.

"Yes Mother." The girl replied politely, "I'll be out in just a moment."

"It's mighty early in the morning… Is everything okay?" Reba asked through the door with a note of concern.

Is everything okay? Phoebe wondered as her mother's words echoed in her mind. Knowing that she didn't need to needlessly worry her parent, Phoebe finished her business with little success. "Yes, I'm fine." She replied faintly before turning on the faucet and washing her hands.

Opening the bathroom door, her mother stood there with a towel in hand as well as a fresh pair of clothing in her arms. "Are you sure?" The adult woman asked as she placed her hand on the young girl's forehead.

Phoebe smiled at her mother's loving touch. "Yes, It seems that the storm outside just woke me, is all." She replied.

"Well alright honey, if you insist." Reba smiled back and walked around her daughter into the bathroom with her hand on the side of the door. "If you need me for anything, I still have about an hour before I need to leave the house. Don't hesitate to ask."

The reassuring calm words of her mother softly put Phoebe's heart as ease. "Okay." She nodded then let her mother close the door and made her way back to her bedroom.

One of the windows had been slightly ajar and she watched as the wind made her curtains dance. Walking slowly to the window, she could feel the storms hostile breeze; it was warm and comforting. Despite the welcoming wind, Phoebe knew it was best to shut the window if she had any hope in going back to sleep… Although with her hand on top of the sliding portion, she couldn't bare push down. Phoebe had been looking at her own reflection and images of her dream began to flash violently in her mind.

"What was it about?" She asked herself, pulling fragmented images from deep, deep within her consciousness. She could remember colors, shapes and a few people but nothing seemed solid. Then the pain she had been experiencing returned and Phoebe clutched her stomach. "I must still have to use the bathroom…." She dwelled, turning around and walking to her bed to patiently wait until her mother was out of the shower.

Minutes seemed like hours as the poor girl's stomach began to toss and turn into something ugly. Promptly she began to recall all the food she had consumed throughout the past day to pinpoint anything out of the ordinary. Was it the cafeteria food, perhaps? I recall Helga having issues with it before… Or maybe it was the food served at Gerald's house? She wondered. Neither plates had anything new to her nor could she think of anything else, leaving her at a loss. "Well whatever it is, it's clearly not agreeing with me…" She moaned again. Rolling up in a ball, the small girl practiced her breathing to keep herself calm. She knew panicking, even under duress, wouldn't do anything but make the pain greater.

Phoebe then heard the click of her bathroom door opening, as well as her mother shuffling around before walking down the stairs. Awkwardly, she straightened her body and stood up, buckling over as she pushed herself out of her room once more and into the bathroom. There she stood at the sink and opened her medicine cabinet to reveal an array of pills, medicinal herbs and liquids, as well as personal hygiene cleaning supplies. Grabbing the pain killers, she popped open the bottle and tossed a few in her mouth, before turning on her faucet, cupping some water in her hand and quickly tossing it in back of her throat to swallow the pills with ease. With one hand, she wiped the liquid that remained on her lips and supported herself against the sink. I hope these act quickly… She thought before another wave of pain hit her, causing her to buckle once more and turn to the toilet. Think pleasant and calming thoughts, Phoebe! She demanded herself as stood there in pain. Being a wimp won't make the situation any easier. Be strong, it will pass! She coached inside her mind. Today we're going to the photo…. Shoot and I'll even get to be with Gerald! I'm gonna…. Be apart… of helping Helga get her home back! She told herself; her mind pausing at every wave of pain that hit her insides. I'll get to meet that girl, that's pretty exciting… As well as see Rhonda's expression when she sees that…. Studio.

The throb began to slowly subside as Phoebe willed herself to calm down and eventually she attempted business once again but with little rewards. Cursing her luck in her mind, she made it back to her bed where she decided laying down and letting the medicine kick in was probably the only option she had left. Whatever was disagreeing with her stomach would eventually find its own solution and she could take care of it whenever she woke up again. Curling up into another ball, she focused her mind on the sound of the soothing rain and soft rolling thunder in the background. Thoughts of her boyfriend and the happiness they shared started to dance in her head, as well as fantasies of him comforting her in her current time of need and soon she slowly drifted off into a pleasant dream that would hopefully last and not be interrupted by more pain.

"BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BE-" Went Helga's alarm clock until "THUD" she whacked it so hard it fell off her desk and onto the floor.

"Ugh…" She groaned to herself; looking up at her dark ceiling. Her "room" had no windows and only left her in pitch black until she gained the courage to turn on a light and temporarily blind herself. Mornings always sucked. The only light that could be found was the small strip of it beneath her door.

Throwing her blankets off her bed, Helga decided to cool off before finally forcing herself to get up. Picking up her abused alarm clock, she glared at the time. 10:00am. Although the big gathering wasn't going to happen until a few more hours, Helga knew she needed time to get dressed, eat whatever she could find laying around and make it to Arnold's house so his grandpa could drive them over to whatever address Phoebe had given her. Feeling particularly sluggish, the girl reluctantly flipped on her lights which caused a painful glare in her eyes. "Crimity!" She screamed as she covered her face. "I hate this stupid room!"

Once her vision had cleared up enough to function, Helga uncovered her eyes and began to search for a pair of clothes that weren't as dirty as some. Miriam had been in charge of bringing their laundry to a laundry mat but hadn't managed to do it in at least a week, thus making a pile of dirty clothes surround Helga's bedroom floor. Kicking most around, she eventually found something she deemed worthy, tossed it on and exited the dusty closet of a living space.

Greeted immediately with a breath of fresh air, Helga looked around at her surroundings. She could hear the T.V off in the distance but not much else. Wondering who was home or awake, she dragged her feet around the emporium. Surprised to see no one in the T.V room, she headed onto the kitchen where she found Miriam staring into the empty cupboards.

"What are you doing?" Helga asked, crossing her arms and watching her mother.

The sound of her daughters voice startled the woman with a jump. "Huh?" She squeaked out before turning around and looking dazedly at her youngest. "Oh… good morning Helga!" She smiled. "How did you sleep?"

"Like I normally do since moving here." Helga replied with a snort. "Like crap."

Miriam frowned and scratched her head. "Oh… I'm sorry, honey."

Helga shrugged and walked over to her mom and began looking into the empty cupboards as well. "You're not gonna find anything in here, Miriam. You haven't went shopping in weeks." The harsh girl spat out.

"Weeks?" Miriam asked, turning to her daughter with a confused look. "Why Helga, I just went shopping a few days ago." With a little laugh, she opened a few more cupboards to reveal a half used box of instant mashed potatoes as well as a dented can of off-brand soup. "There should be something around here…"

Heaving a heavy sigh, Helga opened up the fridge to see what was left. "No Miriam, it was weeks. The only thing I've had to eat the past few days is cereal and I ran out yesterday night." Inside of the mostly bare refrigerator were some condiments and left over Chinese from who knows when that Helga didn't trust to even look inside, in fear of something growing jumping out at her. "…as well as milk that ran out the night before that."

"Oh dear…" She heard her mother whine from behind her. "I gotta call B and let him know before he gets home…"

Cocking an eyebrow at her mother's statement, Helga turned to her. "Where is he?"

Doing her best to remember, Miriam closed the cupboards back up and leaned against the counter; placing her index finger against her lips. "I think he said something about going to see someone…" Finally giving up on her thought process, the disheveled woman shrugged. "Or something like that…" With a smile, she turned to Helga. "I'm sure wherever he is; he's doing something to help us get out of this place."

"Yeah, right," Helga replied flatly, "And next thing you know it will start raining gold and we'll all be rich." Her mother's naivety only made her grow angry and impatient. "Wake up, Miriam. Bob isn't doing anything to help us. All he's probably doing is begging the banks for more loans which, Surprise! Surprise! None of them will give us because we're BROKE!

The information being spouted out at her by the girl only made Miriam frown. "Don't be so negative, Helga. Your father cares about-" but before she could finish her sentence, Helga quickly interjected.

"HIMSELF!" Helga yelled, causing her mom to be startled once again. "He only cares about himself, Miriam. If he cared about us even a little bit, he would have given up on beepers the moment our sales plummeted from the cell phone market. If he had any brains in his thick dumb skull of his, he would have jumped on the opportunity to join that market and be swimming in cash like the rest of those black suit wearing big-shots!" Sighing in both disappointment and self frustration, Helga turned away from her mother. "But he didn't and now we're stuck here." Turning back briefly, she could see her mother's lazy, bewildered expression. "Face it, the only way out is admitting he failed to his parents and getting help."

The suggestion made the blonde woman chuckle to herself. "Helga, please. You know your father would never do that. He can get us through, just have faith!" Miriam insisted blindly.

"He can get us through? Have faith?" Helga questioned, repeating her mother's words and sizing the woman up and down. "Have you gone insane?!" She yelled. "Or have you just been walking around with your head in the clouds for the last DECADE?!" Her patience with the woman had worn thin and it didn't help that her stomach was beginning to rumble from obvious hunger. "Maybe if you just got off the couch for once in your life and gotten your own job, we wouldn't be knee deep in debt and God knows what else! Maybe, and just maybe because I know this is a little far-fetched Miriam, but maybe if you didn't waste all the little money Bob can give you on ingredients for your special relaxation smoothies, we might have more food in the house instead of this TRASH!" She yelled; slamming the refrigerator door shut and causing her parental figure to jump. "But who am I kidding…" Helga laughed before storming passed her mom and into the doorway. "That's just a dream." She finished before leaving her mother in dead silence.

Throwing the emporium door open, Helga stomped out and into the sunlight. She could see the puddles on the ground from the night's rain as well as trash scattered about due to the storm drains being overfilled. Nothing ever changes… She cursed before looking up into the sky to see that most of the dark clouds were far away, promising a sunnier day.

As sunlight peered through the glass windows of Arnold's ceiling, he awoke with an irritated stir. He had been having pleasant dreams all night long which consisted of regular adolescent boy things and not uncomfortable things he didn't want to think about. Proceeding to stretch and climb out of his bed, Arnold scratched his sides and moseyed on down stairs for breakfast.

"You sure slept long!" Phil called out to the boy as he flipped through the mail he had just acquired.

Arnold let out a loud yawn and started to walk downstairs. "I did?" He asked, completely unsure of the time.

"Yeah! You even missed out on breakfast so you'll have to make do with cereal today," Phil answered, pulling out his pocket watch and opening it up to give the boy a more precise time. "It's about quarter after 10, Short man."

The time alarmed the young man and he immediately raced into the kitchen to pour himself a bowl, causing the older man to follow with curiosity.

"What's on the agenda today that's got you all in a rush, Arnold?" Phil asked as he patiently watched the boy make his breakfast.

Grabbing the milk out of the refrigerator, Arnold had no time to look up at his elder as he poured the milk and quickly placed it back; shutting the door with his foot. "Today that model is coming here for the photo shoot with Bob's beepers, remember Grandpa?" He replied as he grabbed a spoon and shoveled a mouthful of sugary sweet puffs into his mouth. "You agreed to bring me."

"Was that today?" Phil asked himself out loud, causing his grandson to react with alarm and nod with his mouth full. "Well thank goodness I have nothing to do other than help my favorite grandson and his little friends." He smiled; letting the boy calm down and continue his breakfast. "Just let me know when you're ready and I'll get the Packard up and running."

"Will do, Grandpa." Arnold replied as he watched the old man leave the kitchen; continuing to finish his bowl with haste.

It didn't take long for the boy to finish his meal before he placed his things in the sink and ran back up into his room to get ready. Tossing his clothes around and reaching into his closet for a fresh, new pair, Arnold began to think positively. Today is a new day… He thought as he put on his clothing one by one. Today I'm finally going to be able to help Helga in the way she's helped me. Nothing is going to stand in my way!

Standing outside of the boarding house, Helga wrinkled up her nose. Showing up unannounced wasn't out of the ordinary; however she couldn't help but feel out of place. It was early, after all and it wasn't as if she was with others. It was her, alone, in front of Arnold's house with no one else joining them until much later. It would have been one thing if it was for some project or school work or even some sort of sports activity however this wasn't the case. She was standing there because he was taking them to watch some hotshot take prissy photos in hope of her family gaining some profit and moving out of that God forsaken money pit of a franchise.

Sucking in a huge amount of air to calm her nerves, the girl walked up to the door and rang the doorbell. "Calm down, Helga! This is totally easy! Arnold is probably gonna answer like he normally does and greet you with his award winning smile, invite you inside and soon you'll leave." She amped herself up. Unfortunately, to her dismay, it was not Arnold who had opened up the front door, but his mother.

With a rather large amount of surprise, Stella held the door open to Helga and smiled. "Hello there! You must be here for Arnold, aren't you?" The woman greeted warming as if she was some older, female version of her beloved Football head.

"Uhhh…" Helga had not expected to be received by her and was completely off her guard. "Yeah… You could say that." She shrugged as she acted in her nonchalant way.

Stella opened the door wide and gestured the girl in. "Come on in! I'm sure he's getting ready." She welcomed, causing Helga to uncomfortably do what she was asked.

Unsure of her next course of action, Helga found herself standing in the lobby with her hands on her hips, looking around. There had been many times she had set foot inside Arnold's house, but only a handful where she wasn't with Arnold when entering. She watched as Stella walked away and found it suitable to follow in hopes of some way to pass the time while she waited for her boyfriend.

Into the kitchen they both walked; Stella fully aware of her shadow. "Would you like something to eat?" The mother asked, turning to the self-conscious girl. "We had a rather large dinner last night and I'm sure there are some leftovers, if you don't mind eating dinner for lunch."

"Lunch?" Helga asked, looking up at the clock, uncertain of what to do.

"Yeah!" Stella smiled as she opened the refrigerator and pulled out a container. "Would you like some?"

"What? Do I look like a charity case to you?" Helga responded, crossing her arms and looking rebellious. "I'm not here to eat, I'm here so we can get going."

If the woman hadn't been warned of Helga's harsh demeanor, she would have been taken aback however this wasn't the cause and she only smiled. "Oh don't worry, we have plenty!" Stella replied as she pulled out a second and third storage container with days of the week labeled on it.

The food looked tantalizing and Helga's stomach betrayed her and let out a loud whining noise that could probably be heard even rooms away. Blushing in embarrassment, she turned around to no longer look at the appetizing meal being paraded in front of her. "Look lady, that's nice in all but I don't need your handouts. I'm perfectly fine how I am."

"Hungry?" Stella asked with an awkward expression, "No one is fine being hungry, Helga. Sit down and eat!" She insisted as she made the girl a plate against her will and warmed it up in the microwave.

Realizing that there was no way out of her situation, Helga glanced over her shoulder to see the woman removing the plate from the warmer and setting it on the table. "It's meatloaf and potatoes! I made it myself." Stella boasted, clearly proud and showing it.

Helga could smell the meal from where she stood and her stomach let out another, more violent whine. Stubbornly she marched over to the table and sat down. Stella's smile widened as the girl finally gave in and she handed her a fork. "Dig in!" She exclaimed with excitement.

"Just so you know, I'm only doing this because you're forcing me…" Helga commented before taking a small bite to see if it tasted as good as it looked. Her eyes widened with shock as the flavors all seemed to blend together in some holy concoction only made by the most skilled chefs. "This is delicious!" She expressed, taking a few more bites.

"I'm glad you think so!" Stella gleamed, grasping both her hands together before pulling out a chair and joining Helga at the table. "Arnold enjoyed it a lot as well!"

The topic of her adored only caused Helga to stop eating with a grinding halt, causing her fork to drop on her plate with a loud clang. It had just dawned on her that she was eating lunch, in his house, with his mother! Her- Helga G. Pataki was inside Arnold's residence partaking in casual conversation with the dork's own biological mother!

"Is there something wrong?" Stella asked, assuming maybe the food no longer tasted right as it had been inside the cooler for a few days.

Not wanting to cause any issue to disrupt their unusual gathering, Helga shook her head and continued to eat her meal. "No, this is pretty great!" She complimented again, nearly finishing the plate.

It warmed Stella's heart to see the girl eat so rabidly. Was her food really that good? Or was Helga just that hungry that any bit of morsel would have made due? Whatever the case was, it didn't matter to the woman as she watched the girl nearly lick her plate clean.

Taking the empty plate, Stella placed it inside the sink and began to wash it. She had wanted to speak to Helga for a while but never really knew when she'd get the opportunity, but the gift had been given to her now and seemed oddly perfect. "So… Tell me about yourself." Stella finally managed to blurt out, although feeling a little out of place.

"Huh?" Helga turned to the woman, surprised to be asked such a thing.

Stella swallowed and finished placing her dish into the strainer; turning off the kitchen sink. "Tell me about yourself!" She repeated confidently. "The things you like and dislike, what you want to be when you grow up… you know, things that make you- you!"

The gears in Helga's mind began to grind forward as she did her best to analyze the woman to see if there could possibly be any anterior motives to this honest question. Adorning her hostile front, Helga snorted. "What's it matter to you what I like?"

Tilting her head and thinking to herself her own motives, Stella walked to the table and sat besides the girl. "Any mother would like to get to know the girl that her son fancies." She replied bluntly. "You must be one special girl and I'd like to get to know the you hiding behind that rough exterior."

Her words glided through Helga's brain like an ice skating champion and left her stunned. There is absolutely no doubt about it, this is definitely Arnold's mother... Thought Helga as she did her best to push back her obviously growing frustration, Leave it to her to analyze me within 5 whole seconds of me being here! Helga looked at the woman and scowled further. "I-I have no idea what you're talking about!" Helga stammered. "F-fancy?! Arnold doesn't fancy me and I'm not special! I'm just your average school bully who likes to get under the skin of others!"

"Uh huh…" Stella sighed, placing her elbow on the table and resting her head against the hand propped up. "Keep telling yourself that honey and you definitely won't get any further." Her remark was laced with obvious knowledge of Helga's past.

Feeling completely put on display, Helga panicked and did the only thing she knew how to do. "Yeah well you don't know me, okay?" She frowned, crossing her legs and tipping herself back in her chair, "So back off, will ya?"

The adult shook her head and recalled the stories told to her by her son. "You do remember that your deeds are what woke me and my husband up, right? No need to put on a show." She answered calmly but with intent. "Arnold has told me a lot about you already. It's alright to relax a little, Helga. No one is here to hurt you."

Her words began to sound a little like her old therapists and Helga sighed sadly. It had been quite awhile since she had seen the woman since her office moved clear across the city and she couldn't help but painfully admit that she missed her kind words. Helga's scowl faded and she considered her next actions carefully. Knowing there was no point in forcing the façade, her only other option would be to come clean, however she also wasn't about to lay her life out on the table for this stranger to judge either. "There isn't much to tell," She finally spoke as she slouched awkwardly in her chair; half her body becoming hidden by the table she sat at. "I like lots of things." However no examples seemed to come to mind besides the woman's son.

"Like what?" Stella asked, happy that the girl was finally exposing herself a little.

"Crimity! Am I being put on trial here?!" Helga blasted out with a red face, causing Stella to gasp in shock. "I like wrestling, eating junk food, playing sports or anything that gets me away from my stupid family-", Helga could see the woman became concerned at her last example and quickly tried to change the subject. "And you know other girly things…." She lied in a high pitched and embarrassed voice.

Opening her mouth to question Helga further, Stella suddenly became distracted as she saw her Mother-in-law walk in unannounced. The old woman's eyes brightened and she rushed over to Helga. "Eleanor! How good it is to see you again!" She said with delight. "I suspect you're here to accompany the President on his wellness services?"

Aware of the older woman's eccentric personality, Helga arched her eyebrow at the name as if she had heard it once before. "Eleanor?" She questioned out loud.

"Mom, her name is Helga." Stella laughed nervously at the woman who responded with shaking her head.

"Do I look senile to you?" The elderly woman asked ironically, "I know who Eleanor is!" Gerty then walked over to Helga and lifted her chin up to get a better look at the girl, causing Helga to recoil a little but let the woman do as she pleased. "Why, she's our Presidents first lady! Eleanor has done a lot of good for this country and has been a strong back bone for our President." She went on explaining with a proud smile and let go of Helga. "The most controversial First Lady in history; a strong independent feminist leader and someone we can all look up to. Right, Eleanor?"

Feeling her cheeks become rosy at the blatant compliment, Helga became uneasy and slowly lifted her body out of her chain and moved backwards towards an exit and away from the ridiculousness that was currently unfolding. "Riiiiiight…." She answered slowly, noticing Stella's puzzled look. "Well I better go help the President then! Don't wanna keep the old man waiting…" But as she reached the doorway, she felt her body collide with an opposing yet soft force from behind. Turning around with a heavy sense of dread, Helga was relieved to see her savior. "You're a sight for sore eyes." She mumbled to the confused yet surprised looking boy behind her.

"Helga? Aren't you a little early? Or am I just late…?" Arnold asked, hoping it was the first one. Before he could get an answer, Helga grabbed his arm and immediately led him away from the two older females watching them with interest.

"That's not important right now; just get me away from this nut house…" She responded in a low voice as she turned a corner, hoping the other two couldn't hear.

Finally able to get away from her uncomfortable situation, Helga brought the both of them outside so she could breathe some fresh air, and let go of his arm. The air seemed so much cleaner and crisp now that she could control her surroundings and Helga filled her lungs with it with ease.

Arnold stood there in the doorway and watched as the girl relaxed. Although he had some ideas of what could have happened inside his kitchen, he found it best to let her speak of it herself. "What happened?" He asked, shutting the door behind him.

Helga looked over her shoulder at him and shrugged. "I don't know. At first your mom wanted to be all hospitable and wholesome then suddenly wanted to deconstruct me." She explained with a tone that gradually became annoyed. "Then your loony grandma came in and started calling me by someone else's name and claimed I was married to the President." Helga then fully turned to him and watched as his face became sullen. "Your whole family is a bunch of weirdos."

Knowing that her insults weren't meant to be taken personally, Arnold gave a soft understanding smile. "Yeah… Grandma can get kinda weird but you get used to it after a while. She calls me all sorts of names too." He gave a small chuckle before focusing on the more important subject she had pointed out. "What do you mean she deconstructed you? What exactly happened?"

His question only reminded her more of what his mother was like and she peered at him up and down with a sort of skepticism. "I'll just say you two have an uncanny resemblance and I'm not referring to your head shape." She hinted.

Now only leaving him with more questions, Arnold tilted his head and tried to concentrate on her answer but before any real answers came to mind, he heard the door behind him open up. Turning his head and glancing up, he saw his Grandpa shuffling through his pockets and looking for his car keys.

"You two ready to go?" Phil asked as he found his treasure with a gleam in his eye.

"Yeah, yeah let's just get this over with." Helga replied as she placed her hands on her hips.

The moment had passed for Arnold to get more out of her and he pushed his questions in the back of his mind and smiled up at his grandfather. "Sure!" Arnold answered; giving his grandpa a sense that what had troubled the boy the night prior had been lifted, even if temporarily.

"Okie Dokie then kids," Phil said as he walked passed them and to the driver's side door. "Hop on in and I'll take ya where ya gotta go!"

No one in that Packard had expected to see what they saw the moment they had reached the address given to them by Gerald and Phoebe. Next to the car stood a shabby small building with broken security camera, toppled over trash cans and a partially boarded up front window.

Phil scratched his chin and couldn't help but feel that the children might be unsafe in their location. "You guys sure this is the right place?" He asked as he could hear shouting in the distance from an unknown couple.

Arnold opened up his wrinkled piece of paper and reexamined the address. "Yeah… this is the place."

Looking at the car's window, Helga shook her head in both disappointment and frustration. "Leave it to Geraldo to give us the most sketchiest place on earth to hold a photo shoot. They're not even here yet and Rhonda and that girl could be here any minute!"

Not wanting Helga to be anymore discouraged about their luck, Arnold turned to her with a thoughtful smile. "Don't worry, Helga. I'm sure they'll be here soon."

Phil let out another low moan as he looked around their surroundings once more. "There are going to be adults with you, right? If not then I'll probably wait out here and listen to some tunes."

There hadn't been any mention of Gerald bringing his father or brother, nor were there any mention of Phoebe's family coming along and he couldn't even image Rhonda bringing anyone of significance. Arnold shook his head to his grandpa. "I don't think anyone else is coming unless the model brings someone. Are you sure you want to just sit in the car?" He asked, not wanting his grandfather to be uncomfortable. "It might get pretty boring."

The old man let out a laugh and turned up his radio as a song started to play. "Don't worry about me, Short man! That's my job! Besides I got plenty of company from these old dead singers." He replied as he gestured to the radio.

Knowing there was no point in trying to reason with his elder further, Arnold turned back to Helga who still had the same annoyed expression. "You want to get out and have a look at the place before the others arrive? Since Gerald and Phoebe already scoped it out, I figure we might as well also."

Helga shrugged and opened the car door to let herself out. "Whatever floats your boat, Arnoldo." She replied, exiting and slamming the door behind her.

Arnold turned to Phil one last time, who gave the boy a thumbs up, then proceeded on exiting himself. The air around him smelt strongly of gasoline and smoke. He could still hear loud yelling in the distance along with car alarms and other miscellaneous noises. It wasn't the best place to be but it also wasn't the worst place, right?

The two walked up to the building and began checking it out. Tapping on the wooden plank that had secured the window, Helga sighed. "Well ain't she the prettiest thing." She commented sarcastically.

Arnold ignored her and continued his own investigation. Finding the entrance being on the side of the building, he jiggled the handle to see if it would open. Much to his surprise the door opened freely and the young boy looked inside with interest. "It's open!" He shouted to Helga who was still at the front of the building.

The girl grumbled and followed his voice. "Of course it is. Why would this place be locked? Not like anyone is trying to get inside this musty place anyway. I'm sure the cockroaches are very happy with letting anyone just waltz inside and party with them…" but as she arrived at the door and looked inside, it hadn't been exactly what she was expecting. Rising her eyebrow in interest, she walked in and past her companion focusing mainly on the stage. "Huh…" She then looked around for a light switch. "Hey Arnold, turn on a light, will ya?"

The boy turned around and began to feel the wall for any sort of switch. It was rather dark inside and his eyes had not adjusted to it, as well as the dust floating around didn't help. Eventually he came across a switch and flipped it up. A large assortment of lights above the stage flickered on and temporarily blinded the two, causing them to both whine and moan in shock.

"Warn me next time you find it!" Helga shrieked; covering her face.

Feeling the same disorientation she was, Arnold breathed in some of the dust and began to cough. "Sorry about that…"

Now having proper lighting, Arnold's eyes adjusted and he began to look at the sight. In front of him were a few high beam light stands, as well as multi color lights that hung above the stage that were currently lit up and the only light source in the room. On the ground, there were a few scattered plastic soda bottles along with a lone beer can. "We should clean this place up a little before everyone gets here…" Arnold thought out loud, causing Helga to jerk her head in his direction.

"Oh no! I didn't sign up to be maintenance in this crap town of a place! I am absolutely NOT cleaning up this dump!" She shouted as she placed her hands on her hips.

After some coercing from the only boy she ever known to convince her of things she didn't want to do, Helga stood on top of the stage with a broomstick in her hand. "I can't believe I'm cleaning up this dump…"

Arnold had found the janitorial closet and began to utilize the few supplies he found, along with giving Helga her broom. Using a small trash can, he began picking up the bottles and tossing them inside. "It's not that bad, Helga." He replied with a reassuring smile. "I'm sure everyone will really appreciate it when they arrive."

"I'm sure everyone will appreciate it when they arrive…" She mimicked back to him as she angrily swept the dirt off the stage and onto the floor. "Of course they will, paste-for-brains! We're the ones getting all down and dirty and all they'll have to do is show up, doi!"

Unable to contain his amusement with her angry sweeping, Arnold chuckled to himself and continued to pick up the garbage lying about, such as pieces of wood, cardboard and wrappers from food. Soon his trash can was pretty full and he threw its contents into the community dumpster outside. Looking to the right, he could see his grandpa was still bobbing his head to his music, causing Arnold to smile and head back inside. He watched as Helga jumped off the stage and onto the floor, sweeping up the dirt she had just thrown there and making a large pile. "You know, Helga. Even though you don't like cleaning, you're doing a good job." He complimented.

Helga gave a loud snort and refused to look back at him. "Your witty compliment isn't going to change the fact I didn't sign up for this." She responded; searching around for the dust pan he had given her with the broom. "Where is that dang-blasted dust pan?!"

He could see the object in question and proceeded to pick it up from the corner of the stage. "You mean this one?" He asked as he turned around, his smile not leaving his face.

"Yes… THAT one!" Helga blurted out before collecting as much dirt as possible in the area and making sure it was in one lump sum. "Now hurry up and hand it over so I can just be done."

With a nod, Arnold walked over towards her with the pan firmly grasped in his hand. I feel like today is going pretty well… He thought. Looking around the room, he noticed a clear difference from when they had first arrived and now. I bet Gerald will be amazed to see how far we've come with this place… I'll bet—But before he could finish his thought, Arnold's foot gracefully stepped on the one beer can he had missed and wobbled before losing his balance and falling forward with a loud yell. Dust blew up in the air and scattered around him. He could feel that he had landed on something warm and soft, and with much interest, the boy opened his eyes. Instantly, he realized what or who he fell on. An inch away from his own face was the scarlet face of Helga G. Pataki.

"Why don't you ever watch where you're walking, Football head?!" She asked, clearly flustered that he was now lying on top of her.

"I-I'm sorry!" He responded, feeling his own face turn red at the sight of hers. He turned his head to see the object he had tripped on. "I guess I didn't pick up as well as I thought, huh?"

He could feel the warm of her body beneath his and then the slow rise and fall of her breathing. Turning back to face her, images of his dream, that he had done his best to push as far back as possible, began to flood his mind and his heart began to race. He needed to get off of her, but his body seemed to refuse.

"Y-you gonna get off me or w-what?" Helga asked quietly, however secretly enjoying their union. She had always envisioned such an accident happening while daydreaming in class, but never did she think such a stereotypical comedic thing could actually happen in real life. What made it even better was he didn't seem to mind it either. She could feel his heart pounding against her chest and all Helga could do was gaze up into his lustrous green eyes.

He had heard her question; however her words seemed to breeze through his ears like a passing gust of wind. Arnold felt his breathing beginning to get heavy as well as his body heating up. The sensation he was experiencing was similar to that of the him in his dream. "Just accept it, Arnold. Just relax and give in… You don't really want me to stop, do you?" Her words echoed in his mind. "But I'm already sick, if that's what you wanna call it…" He could remember the almost unstoppable urge he had experienced too, as his prize was right in front of his face, in the flesh.

Helga swallowed hard and began to feel nervous. What's wrong with him? She wondered as she looked upon his dazed face. Not that I'm not totally enjoying this but… is this really okay? The girl could feel herself begin to sweat from the collection of heat between the two of them. Arnold, the calm and collected; the thoughtful and considerate; the idol upon which she worshiped was acting in a way she had never seen in her life. "E-earth to Football head…" She hesitated softly. "Are you okay?"

Just let yourself go… It's fine, right? Her scent was beginning to overwhelm his senses and Arnold could feel himself being drawn in closer and closer to her, however slow the progression actually was in real time. "I'm…. fine." He responded, although unsure if he had actually spoken aloud at all. The hunger had come back. "It's fine… right?" He asked himself even if it looked like it was directed to her.

"W-what's fine?" She responded with unease. Her pleasurable fantasy was unfolding before her eyes. Does he finally want me the way I want him? She wondered as her eyes searched his for answers. Why am I so nervous? Her heart felt like it was going to explode out of her chest.

Just as Helga had finally closed her eyes to accept whatever he intended on doing, the door behind them creaked open, causing them both to whip their heads to the side to see who was there. A small surprised Phoebe stood in the doorway, clutching a camera.

"Uhh… Excuse me." She squeaked out before politely stepping back out and closing the door.

The interruption had snapped Arnold back into clarity and he immediately jumped off of her and turned away. Catching his breath, he wasn't sure if he should be embarrassed, apologetic or what. Words and sentences began to flood his mind as he tried to piece some of them together to form something intelligible.

Meanwhile, Helga pulled herself up and dusted herself off. Luckily for her, they didn't fall into her dirt pile, although that was the least of her concerns. Out of all of the people who could have walked into them in such a state, they were very lucky it had been her best friend. Phoebe was always a polite and understanding person and knew to never speak of anything that wasn't her own business. That moment was safe with her, and Helga knew it. Sighing with a sense of relief, Helga wondered what to say to her clearly unstable partner. Opening her mouth to speak, she stuttered a moment before closing it again and realizing she had no idea what to say. Instead, she grabbed the dust pan lying on the floor and finished collecting the dirt and placing it into his freshly emptied trash can.

"I'm sorry." She heard him mutter out.

"H-huh?" Helga responded, despite having heard his words.

"I…" Arnold started quietly. "I don't know what's wrong with me…"

Replaying their scene in her mind, Helga had little doubt what was wrong with him. What do I say? Do I tell him? Is that right? Is that weird? Yeah that's definitely weird. She concluded in her mind. There has to be something for me to say to ease his mind though… It looks like the poor kid is torturing himself over there! Helga watched as Arnold seemed frozen in place, still staring at the floor, facing away from her. "There… is nothing wrong with you…" She replied slowly, with a soothing voice. "You fell… It happens…" Helga finished with a small chuckle, choosing to feign ignorance to the whole thing.

"No, that's not it." He admitted, pushing all his conflicting emotions deep down into the pit of his stomach. "I'm really sorry, Helga."

Wanting absolutely nothing more than to comfort him; Helga collected all her courage and walked over to him, placing her arms around his midsection and embracing him from behind. "Don't be sorry, Arnold." Her voice as sincere as it had ever been.

Confusion, humility and desperation were all the young man could feel. Her words were warm, as well as her gesture; however Arnold couldn't help but feel as though he did something terribly wrong even if he wasn't exactly sure what that was. "It's just… I had this really weird dream and now it's almost like I can't control myself." He admitted with a cracked voice.

"What kind of weird dream?" His words had piqued her interests.

Arnold shook his head, unsure if he should even explain such a private thing to her. "I don't know… Just weird" He replied. "You were there and…" His voice began to get quiet as he thought back and relayed his vision into words, "We were locked in the school. You said I wanted us to be there and we were sick but it was okay… and to let go. " Finally, Arnold turned around to her and locked his desperate eyes onto hers, causing her to let go and step back. "What does that mean?"

"I-… uh..." Helga stammered with a blush, "I'm… not sure? It could mean lots of things." She lied, turning her head to the side as to not get lost in his eyes once more. "Dreams can be weird like that. I wouldn't think too much of it." Helga gulped. That's right, Helga. Just play along! Let him believe that it meant nothing so he can go back to being his usual easy going football headed self! Helga began to walk back slowly, knowing the only real escape was out the actual door. She could see his desperate expression hadn't wavered.

Remembering that Phoebe had opened the door on them, it had clicked into Arnold's brain that Gerald was probably also there, and possibly everyone else. Stealing his emotions and deciding that he would deal with his issues later and at a better time, Arnold walked over to the door and opened it. At first it looked like no one was outside, until he heard familiar voices. Leaving Helga alone inside the studio, Arnold headed out the door to find his company.

Helga stood there in shock for a moment; gathering up all the information she could process about what had just happened. Her heart was still pounding from their encounter and she placed her hand over her locket and took a long breath in. "Oh my love…" She cooed, "Never had I ever expected you to look at me with those eyes. Never had I dreamed my fantasies would come true. Doth my mind deceive me? Have I become insane?" Taking out her locket, she closed her eyes and clutched it tightly as if pouring all her emotion into it. "Is this really real? Or am I just dreaming…?" Opening them once more, she gazed into his face with growing concern. "What has awakened inside of you…?"


	12. Chapter 12

In front of the studio, Mr. Johansson had engaged Phil into some talks of politics while Gerald rested his back up against the Packard, legs and arms crossed with an expression of pure annoyance. He had expressed his feelings to his dad more than once that morning about how he didn't need to accompany them; however his father had completely disagreed the moment he saw which street they'd be on. It was luck that Arnold's grandpa would be there as Martin Johansson would have attached himself to the kid every step of the way.

"And can you believe what the governor is doing?" Martin asked as he rested his forearm against the car's door. "As if this city wasn't falling apart at the seams, she is just letting go half of our state's major contractors!"

Phil shook his head. His wife had always kept him up to date with everything going on with the world and this wasn't the first of him hearing such news. "Yeah… it's a shame everything is going to waste now. Back in my day, everything had such color and flare. You could see life wherever you went and now…"

"Now the whole city is becoming a waste land." Martin said, finishing Phil's sentence. "More and more shops are closing up and moving away due to the high cost of rent. Small mom and pop shops can't seem to stay open anymore! And it's the same for neighboring cities as well."

Scratching his bald head, the elderly man gave a grim expression before sparking back to light. "Hey! Why don't you run for governor then?" He asked inquisitively.

"Me?!" Mr. Johansson took a step back in shock. "What makes you think I could do something like that?"

"Well you have all these really great ideas so why the heck not?" Phil said half jokingly. "If you really want something to change, your next step is to make efforts and if your efforts aren't getting ya anywhere then… why not climb on into the big boy's chair?"

Martin pondered a moment, taking the suggestion into heavy consideration. The man's words were a compliment; however he couldn't help but think of the major consequences' that followed such a power of position. "No… I couldn't do that. I have to make sure my family is well provided for first before I could sacrifice my time like that." He responded to Phil, looking over at his still agitated son. "Family must always come first."

"Of course they do but wouldn't you be helping them in the long run?" Phil mused, now just entertaining the thought. He had known Martin for a long time as he was his grandson's best friend's father. He knew that Martin was all about family and responsibility but he also knew that he had a good understanding of his own limits. He wasn't the type of man who would bite off more than he could chew.

"Sadly, I'll have to decline your offer Phil." The middle aged man smiled. "However I appreciate the thought." With an exasperated sigh, Martin looked down the dirty street in front of them. "I'll just have to continue writing letters to congress in hopes someone will listen."

"There ya go." Phil nodded. "Someone some where's gotta be getting them." He encouraged half heartedly.

Gerald let out a groan and straightened himself back up. "Will you just go now?" He whined. "As you can see Arnold's grandpa is here to 'chaperone' us. You can go home and write that letter. Whatcha say, Dad?"

Adjusting his glasses, Martin looked sharply down at his son. "I'll say that you need to start speaking to me with respect, young man." He scolded. "I made it clear the moment we got here that I'd be sticking around. No young children need to be roaming around this part of the city, especially unsupervised. It's great that Phil is here and I'll accompany him in waiting for you all to be done. Is that clear?" His face was stern as well as his body unmovable.

"Yes sir…" Gerald sulked and began to walk away from them both. Sticking his hand in his pockets, he looked around to see where Phoebe might have gone. After they had parked, she took the liberty to find their friends however no one had resurfaced.

Walking around to the side of the building where he knew the entrance would be, Gerald spied his girlfriend coming back his way. "Where have you been?" He asked confused.

His voice startled the nervous girl as she still hadn't normalized from the sight she had scene. "Oh… I was just… umm…" She mumbled as she got close to him, catching his hand and leading him back towards the front of the building. "They said they would be right out and to wait here!" Phoebe spat out quickly, her face turning red.

Noticing her abnormal behavior, Gerald raised an eyebrow and looked down at her. "Uh huh…" He replied, looking her over. "What's got you all flustered all of a sudden?"

"N-nothing!" Phoebe stuttered, as she stopped once they were in the clear of the door. "Nothing at all… heh." She finished with a nervous laugh.

Very sure that something was being kept from him; Gerald furrowed his brows and became upset. It seemed like everyone had been deciding to keep him out of the loop with one thing or another and it was becoming a vicious trend. Did no one trust him? Wasn't he the keeper of all that went on around him and his friends? It wasn't as if he was gonna go blab it all out to everyone. Gerald knew well how to keep secrets and yet it seemed lately that he was the last to know about a lot of things. Wanting nothing more than to yell in frustration, Gerald knew it wasn't right to take it out on his girlfriend, especially today. Channeling his feelings into something more productive, he forced himself to calm down and focused on her thoughtfully. "Are you feeling any better?" He asked, recalling that she had had a rough start to her morning.

Phoebe nodded. "Yes. Fortunately the pain has passed…" She then frowned as she looked down at her stomach, "Though I would really like to know what's causing these nightly stomach aches."

"How long has this been going on?" The boy asked. He had wanted to ask her about all of this earlier however his father had been pressing them for time, assuming they would be late to this gathering.

Thinking to herself for the moment, Phoebe hummed. "A little less than a week, I'd say." She answered. "I've been considering telling Mother about this; however I also don't want to needlessly worry her either. I'm sure it's just a stomach bug or something and will pass in time." Phoebe forced a smile and turned back to him. She could see that he was worried about her and it made her feel a little fuzzy inside.

Scratching the back of his freshly groomed head, Gerald could see that she was doing her best. "Alright then… But if this continues you really should let your parents know." A faint pink color emerged on his tanned cheeks and he turned his head to look at something irrelevant. "I don't know what I would do if it wound up being something… serious."

"Oh…" Her faced mimicked his with a blush and her warm fuzzy feeling grew.

As the awkwardness ensued, it was eventually interrupted by Arnold finally emerging from around the side of the building with a hurried look on his face. Everyone's attention turned to the young man who looked like he had just escaped something horrible.

"Hey guys!" He called out panting, acting as if everything was alright with him.

"Uhh… Hey man." Gerald called back, reverting back his regular demeanor. "You guys done in there?"

The question was innocent enough, however Arnold's face flushed as he could only imagine that Phoebe had told him what she had seen. He turned to the Asian girl with a panicked face, but she shook her head and smiled, giving him instant relief.

"Y-yeah! We cleaned the place pretty good!" He replied, hoping she had given him some sort of excuse for their absence in there, and figuring the truth would ease his conscience. "You two should see!" Arnold then looked around and noticed that neither Rhonda nor the girl had arrived yet. Pulling out his pocket watch, he looked at the time. It was well passed 1pm and yet their meeting was for Noon. "Where is Rhonda? Didn't we all agree to be here like an hour ago?"

"Sorry we were late…" Gerald breathed out, unsure if he had any business explaining their situation since it was personal.

Phoebe nodded and blushed with embarrassment. "It was my fault, Arnold." She admitted. "I was feeling a little sick and everyone had stalled for me. I apologize."

Giving a small smile, Arnold nodded. "That's okay. Are you feeling better?" He asked with genuine kindness.

"Yes, much better." Phoebe's color turned to her normal tone and she smiled back, glad that her friend understood.

Arnold extended his arm and gestured them to around the side of the building to the entrance. Both of his friends looked to one another to make sure everyone was on the same page, then followed Arnold inside where Helga had decided to organize things a little to pass the time.

Noticing her audience, the pigtailed girl turned around and crossed her arms. "Took you all long enough! We were so bored we practically scrubbed the place clean!" She howled. Realizing that it was only the four of them assembled, Helga gave them all a questioning look. "Where is little miss princess and her friend?"

Everyone gave a small shrug in response, making Helga feel a little uneasy. "She didn't pull one over on us and make us all come here for no reason, right?" She asked mostly to Arnold with a death glare.

Feeling her hostility, Arnold frowned. "I…I don't think so." He replied before turning to look out the door again. "I mean, I hope not anyway…"

"That would be quite unlike her." Phoebe added. "I'm sure she is just fashionably late, as she would put it."

Letting out a loud whine, Helga sat herself down on the stage; gazing up at the multi colored lights. Everyone gathered around her and sat down as well, figuring they might as well make do with the time they had and just chit-chat until their guest either arrived or enough time had passed for them to give up hope.

Luckily for them, it only took a few more minutes until they heard a car pull into the small driveway by the door. With haste, Arnold jumped up and ran to it making sure it was who he thought it was.

The car was no ordinary car but a hot red 1965 ford mustang conversable. In the driver's seat was a tall, intelligent looking man with slicked back black hair, glasses and a suit with tie. The man glanced over at Arnold, before turning to his passenger and whispering something into girl's ear. The girl passenger giggled, then promptly opened up her side of the door, gathered some of her belongings and walked towards Arnold.

The young woman was taller than him, however only slightly. Her brown hair had gotten a little longer than when he seen her in Rhonda's picture and was being worn down to the right side, with her ear exposed. Although she was wearing thick, square framed glasses, he could clearly see her bright blue eyes which matched with her blue and orange checkered flannel shirt; accompanied by an off white shirt which was tucked into her high cut jean shorts; with threads hanging out of the cut legs. Her smile seemed warm and welcoming as she got only inches from him. "Hello! You must be Arnold!" She said with her hand out for a shake. "I'm Marcy!"

Arnold took her hand and shook it softly. "Yes! It's nice to meet you Marcy." He replied, letting go of her hand and looking back at the street. "Where is Rhonda?"

"Hmmm…" She replied, turning the same way he had. "I'm not sure. She told me she would be here but… maybe something had come up?" Marcy suggested, before turning to look back at him. "Will it be a problem if it's just me?"

Hearing concern in her voice, Arnold violently shook his head from side to side. "No! No not at all!" Stepping to the side to give her entrance, he smiled. "Right this way."

Marcy smiled back and gave a small giggle before obeying his words and walking through the doorway. Arnold looked back at the man in the car, who simply gave him a thoughtless look and turned back in front of himself. "Who is that?" He asked, catching up to her.

"That's my manager, Paul." Marcy replied as she stopped and noticed the other 3 people in the room. "He's also my dad. Go figure."

"Oh…" Arnold could feel himself getting tense as if that man would cut anyone who laid even a finger on her. His demeanor was icy enough that he could feel it miles away.

Everyone got off the stage and introduced themselves, shaking her hand one by one.

"It's really nice to meet all of you. You guys seem pretty chill." Marcy greeted as she looked each one of them over one by one. "Unfortunately I can't stay too, too long but we can make the best of the time we have." She finished with a small sad sigh.

"Alright sister, then let's cut to the chase." Helga said as she pulled out two nicely shinned beepers. "These are for you to wear and show off and be all flashy with, got it?" She then handed them to the girl who gladly accepted them. Placing one on the rim of her jeans, Marcy then pulled out a hair band which she secured the other one to, before tying it into her hair but keeping it to her right side. Helga rolled her eyes at the girl's bubbly personality. "Crimity, we're not taking pictures yet. You don't gotta get all flashy right now…"

Ignoring Helga's attitude, Marcy looked at the stage. "So this is where we're gonna shoot?" She asked, placing a finger to her lips and examining it thoroughly. "It's pretty small but I suppose that's fine. Are the pictures going to be posted on the world wide web or in a Zine?"

Gerald pulled his camera off from around his neck. "We were probably going to put most on the internet but maybe make a flier out of one or two." He replied. "Whichever brings the most publicity"

Marcy nodded and continued looking the place over. "Alright. I assume you guys will be taking the pictures?" She asked, stepping onto the stage and positioning herself wherever she felt was right.

Phoebe turned her camera on and looked through the lens. "Correct. We may not be professionals but I am fully convinced that our skills are good enough for our objective." She replied as she turned to her boyfriend and gave a thumbs up.

Arnold could feel confidence well up inside of him and all his ill feelings prior seemed to float away. His friends were taking their roles very seriously and even Helga didn't look as annoyed as he figured she would be. "Thanks so much for this, Marcy." He called out to her, "You have no idea how much this means to us." He spoke for them all.

Looking down at the small boy, the older girl gave a grin. "Don't mention it. Let me know when you are all ready and I'll start posin'!"

Helga snorted and sat down in a folding chair. She glanced over at Arnold and swooned over his goofy looking grin that had planted itself on his face. I'm so happy this is all working itself out for you, my love… She thought as she rested her head on the palm of her hand. But if you continue to smile like that at her, I'll probably kick you in the shin. She finished her thought with a scowl.

Arnold could feel her eyes on him but did his best not to look her way. Keeping himself occupied at what was important, and not letting himself get distracted by his own weaknesses, he turned to Gerald and Phoebe. "You guys ready?"

"Camera's are loaded, my man!" Gerald replied as he showed Arnold his camera's red little light, indicating that it was on.

"Ready when you are." Phoebe chimed in with a determined voice, as she pointed her camera at the girl who seemed to be already posing.

Placing his fingers together in a rectangle shape and placing it up to his eyes, Arnold placed the girl front and center. "And… Action!"

The photo shoot was lasting longer than Helga had expected. Sitting there, only mildly entertained by her friend's attempting to act professional, as well as the stupid poses of their new idol, she sighed to herself. She began to tap her foot on the ground, looking over at her beloved who had taken the role in which Rhonda was supposed to fill, suggesting places her to stand while she posed in a way she felt appropriate. His attention to the girl began to get on Helga's nerves but she did her best to quell her feelings, reminding herself of why he was doing this in the first place. Thoughts of her family moving back into her old house began to fill her head and she found herself smiling a little. Will this really work? She asked herself in silence. What if this does actually work? What if that adorable little football head actually pulls this off and I can finally move out of that dusty piece of crap closet? Thinking of her proud lair down in the basement, Helga frowned. That means I'll have to dismantle my room of operations… that sucks. I put a lot of hard work into that; utilizing all those tv's that I found unused in the closet and even managing to fix that old computer? Phoebe helped me with all of my tapes and records too… But as she continued to ponder all her hard work, she continued to watch Arnold. Images of him falling on top of her and reaction began to brighten her cheeks. I guess I won't be needing those things anymore… though. She thought with a flustered face. No more needing to monitor Arnold, stalk him day and night and record all of his generous deeds… Because I'll be there with him… Helga was reminded of their talk in his room almost a week ago. He had told her that he hoped she wouldn't hide anymore and rather she'd stay by his side out in the open. Her heart began to pitter patter in her chest lovingly as she watched him move and conduct, and she began to rock her chair back and forth. It's… hard to believe this is all real, She confessed to herself. My Arnold… I can't believe he looked at me with those eyes of longing; his half lidded gaze penetrating my soul… Oh how I long to be in that position once more, my dear! Could I possibly fathom what went through your oddly shaped mind during that moment? What had you wanted so desperately to do? Could it have been… to kiss me?! "Ohhh~" she moaned out loud before tipping her chair back far enough to make it fall over along with her, causing everyone in the room to stop what they were doing and turn to her.

"Helga, are you okay?" Phoebe asked as she put the camera down and rushed to her friend's side to help her up, but was pushed away.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine! Give me some space, will ya?" Helga shouted back as Phoebe stepped back to let Helga pick herself up. "Are we done now? This snooze fest had me sleeping so hard I fell out of my seat."

Marcy giggled at the little charade and jumped off of the stage. "I suppose it has been some time…" She mentioned as she looked over at her watch. "Do you think you have enough shots of me with these beepers?" She asked Gerald who was looking through his shots.

"Yeah. With a little editing I think these will be great!" He then looked over at Phoebe with Helga. "How about you babe, got some good photos?"

Phoebe blushed with a smile at his term of endearment and nodded earnestly, turning back to Helga. "Do you think it's possible to edit these in your lair? You have far better equipment for this than anyone else here."

"Lair?" Arnold asked as the term piqued his interests.

"Yeah! Helga has this really cool place in her basement-" Gerald started but before he could finish, he felt daggers on his back and looked at Helga who looked as if she was going to murder him.

"I think you mean my DAD has a lot of digital equipment in the basement of the Beeper Emporium." The angry girl corrected with a hiss, shutting up Gerald further. Waving off Arnold's interest, she continued "It's just a bunch of security software he had installed when he got all paranoid that someone would break in and steal his precious loot. It's nothing to be interested in. Just dusty old computer screens in a cramped basement…"

Marcy could see that the friend's were having a moment and quietly began to gather her belongings. "Well it was fun guys, but I better be heading off now." She spoke happily as she approached Arnold and took him off guard with a hug. "You guys were pretty awesome, especially you Arnold."

"M-me?" He asked, feeling awkward about the sudden embrace out of nowhere from a stranger.

Letting him go, she backed up and folded her arms in back of her head. "Of course! You have talent in directing. Don't let it go to waste, ya know?"

Helga growled and walked to the side door to open it up. "Don't go making his football head swell up with confidence, lady. It's already big enough as it is."

"It was very nice meeting you." Phoebe said as she placed her hand out for a shake between girls, which was gracefully accepted.

"Likewise," Marcy responded with a shake. "I hope the pictures come out hot!" She then removed the beepers from her attired and handed them to Helga.

Finishing their farewells, Marcy waved one last time before exiting the building. Everyone could hear as her father's car revved its engine before speeding away down the street. "Wasn't she charming?" Helga asked sarcastically, closing the door.

"I dunno, I thought she was pretty nice." Gerald replied after turning off his camera, along with Phoebe's.

"Sure, if you like prissy little show offs with a perfect figure and no taste." Helga retorted with a huff.

Everyone frowned at her statement as they all disagreed but knew there was no point in arguing with her. Suspecting her ill mannered temper was due to Arnold's attention to the girl, Phoebe changed the subject. "I wonder what happened to Rhonda. I hope she's alright."

A spark of surprise lit up in Arnold's eyes as he remembered that she never showed up. Doing his best to not be pessimistic on the subject, he cleared his throat "I'm sure something important came up."

"Important?" Gerald asked with a raised eyebrow. "What could possibly be more important than a fashion show to Rhonda Wellington Lloyd?"

Knowing his best friend was right, Arnold gave a fake smile. "Surprise family gathering she was forced to go to?" He suggested.

Having zero interest in what could have possibly happened to the stuck up rich girl, Helga took the liberty of leaving the building first. "Come on, Phoebe. I gotta get some fresh air. This place is mustier than a cemetery crypt."

"Coming!" The small girl replied before looking at the two boys and following her friend.

Somehow surprised that it was still daylight out, on account of the windows in the studio being boarded up and losing track of time, Phoebe squinted her eyes up at the sun which shinned happily at her. She could hear her friend stomping away and followed in that direction.

Kicking the nearby trash can, Helga growled in frustration. "I can't believe that girl had the nerve to hug him. She doesn't even know him!"

Feeling sympathy for her friend, Phoebe adjusted her glasses and frowned. "I agree that it was rather bold of her to hug someone she just met like that, however we also don't know her either." Phoebe spoke softly, attempting to calm down her blustery friend. "It's possible that where she's from, it's common and acceptable to show affection outwardly to just anyone."

Phoebe could see that her words weren't doing any good as Helga kicked the trash can again, causing it to fall on the ground and spill its contents. Figuring it was probably better to give Helga something positive to focus on, she nervously remembered what she had interrupted earlier. "S-so… What happened before I showed up?" She asked as she fidgeted in place.

Hearing the question alerted Helga immediately. "H-huh?" She yelped, "I have no idea what you m-mean, Pheebs…" She finished and began to whistle innocently.

"Oh Helga, spit it out." Phoebe said with a scowl, feeling as though she wasn't begin appreciated for the effort she was putting in to make Helga feel better. "You know I wouldn't normally ask, however seeing you too… like that… was rather odd. I can only assume you perhaps made… progress?" Phoebe felt her face get hotter as she was uncomfortable with the subject but knew it had to be brought up. Despite it not being any of her business, walking into such a sight was beyond a shock and as much as she would love to give Arnold credit on being gentlemanly, she was also aware of Helga's passions and hoped whatever went on was mutual.

Looking around to make sure no one was in ear shot of their conversation, Helga grabbed Phoebe's hand and led her behind the building into a cramped space. "H-helga I highly doubt anyone can hear us…" Phoebe whispered. "But if you insist on speaking here…"

Willing herself to not explode into dramatics, Helga took a deep breath. "I- I don't know what happened exactly…" Helga finally said in a low tone. "We were cleaning up and everything was pretty normal. Then he tripped on some can and I happened to be right next to him and he fell on me"

Seeing her friends face turn a dark hue of red, Phoebe knew there had to be more to it than that and wondered why the girl wasn't spilling her guts all over the place like she normally would. "That's… all?" She asked with a skeptical voice.

Helga nodded with a straight face but when she saw that her friend wasn't buying it, her façade collapsed and she let out a loud whine of passion. "No! I mean, yes but no!" She yelled out, causing some birds to fly away in the process. "Yes that is all that happened basically but no that's definitely not all that happened, Phoebe!" She could see that her loud voice hadn't shaken the girl, so she continued. "His eyes, his face, his…. essence? It all just completely changed! At first he was normal goody-two-shoes Arnoldo and suddenly…" Helga placed her hand on her chest and could feel her heart racing, giving Phoebe a somewhat understanding. "The way he was looking at me made me feel like my skin was on fire, Pheebs. Never in my whole life of watching him from afar and even gazing upon small little personal moment have I ever seen Arnold have an expression like that."

Phoebe listened in closely and could feel herself being drawn into Helga's passion on the subject as her heart began to race too. "What was it like?"

Helga closed her eyes and shook her head. "I can't even describe it. It was like… he wasn't all there. Like his body was there but his mind was somewhere completely different." She said, analyzing her memories for any sort of description. Suddenly she remembered watching a documentary in class last year about lionesses stalking and hunting prey for their Pride. "It was like he was a wild animal who had just found prey…" She spoke seriously, then realized how silly she sounded and chuckled, "If you want to get really descriptive, I guess."

The thought almost frightened Phoebe to think of Arnold looking at her best friend in such an animalistic way, however seeing as she was speaking of it in a positive manner, Phoebe ignored those feelings and nodded in at least somewhat understanding.

"Then you walked in and poof! He jumped off of me and kinda sulked in the corner." Helga recalled with a frown.

"Oh. I'm sorry, Helga. I didn't mean to interrupt the… intimate moment." Phoebe frowned back.

Placing her hand on her shorter friends shoulder, Helga smiled. "It's alright, Pheebs." Her mind then went back to the moment. "I tried to talk to him about it because he really seemed like he was beating himself up about it. Said something like he couldn't control himself ever since he had some dream."

"Dream?" Phoebe asked.

"Yeah." Helga nodded and crossed her arms, going back deep into thought. "I guess he had some weird dream the other night about us being locked up together." She gulped and could really only imagine what the dream had meant, but didn't want to go that far into the explanation as that seemed a little too personal to be blurting out. Knowing that her friend was way more innocent than herself, Helga continued so that way she wouldn't have to explain further. "It was all so sudden, so weird but so… I dunno, oddly passionate?" She finished with a questioning glance at her friend, who gave her the same look back.

Hearing the studio door open and assuming the boys had finished up turning off the lights and cleaning up, Helga gave a nervous look to her friend and they slowly maneuvered out of their hiding spot and waited for the coast to be clear before finally emerging and nonchalantly following them to the front of the building.

Phil had noticed the children and abruptly stopped his conversations with his passenger. "You kids done?" He asked joyfully.

"Well that was sure fast." Martin commented, looking at Phil for an agreement but to only get a grim face back.

"Maybe to you. Felt like a decade to me." Phil replied to the man before looking back at his grandson.

Mr. Johansson exited the Packard and walked over to his son with his hand out for his cameras. "You took good care of them, I hope?" He asked with a stern look.

Gerald smiled and removed the memory from both devices. "You really gotta learn to trust me, Dad. When haven't taken good care of your stuff?" He asked honestly, bringing the memory cards over to Helga and dropping them in her hands with a wink, that only caused her to scowl at him.

Martin gave a low thoughtful sigh and took back his possessions. "I guess so." He then turned to the rest of the adolescents. "Everything work out for you guys?"

Arnold nodded and walked up to the passenger door, which Martin still stood next to. "Yep! The model was really nice and didn't even seem to mind where the location was."

"That's surprising." Phil replied as he started his engine up. "If it were me, I would have taken one look at the place and ran start for the hills. Who knows what I would have been walking into?" He shuttered with bleak thoughts. "But I'm glad she didn't." He finished with a warm and loving tone towards his grandson who was still smiling at the old man despite his words. "Now let's all leave this dreadful place before one of us gets shot at."

"I second that…" Helga commented from afar.

Looking at his son and his girlfriend with a startled expression from the old man's comment, he rushed over to his own vehicle. "Let's go, Gerald, Phoebe."

Giving Arnold their signature handshake, Gerald beamed at his friend. "See ya man." He said before taking his girlfriends hand and leading her to his father's car. "Catcha at school?"

"Sure." Arnold nodded, giving his friend permission to leave comfortably before turning to his own intended who stood there awkwardly by herself. He wanted to put his hand out as Gerald had done with Phoebe but knew that she'd only react in a Helga type of manner. Instead, he gave her a small meek smile and signaled her to the car.

Waiting until her friend had secured herself within her boyfriend's family car and they had driven away, Helga eventually walked herself to Phil's car and jumped in the backseat. It was then that Arnold had recalled that their day wasn't finished, and he began to sweat a little.

"You two have fun?" Phil asked warmly as he put his car into reverse, getting ready to leave that horrid street.

"If you call sitting there forever while some pretty girl shows off fun, then sure." Helga spat out with a note of humor.

Phil laughed and looked over at his grandson, expecting to see his usual happy face but only to see a very nervous one instead. "Woah, you okay there Arnold?" He asked concerned before driving away. "You look like you gotta use the toilet or something!" Phil then gasped in horror. "You didn't eat raspberries did you?! Oh you know how they wreck our family from the inside out!"

Knowing that his grandpa was only trying to get him to cheer up, Arnold forced a smile. "No, Grandpa! I'm fine." He said cheerfully.

Phil gave a disapproving noise and turned back to focus on driving. "Well okay, if you say so."

What do I do? Arnold thought in terror. I promised Helga that we'd go on our first date today and… how can I properly face her after what happened back there? Looking out the car window and watching as the buildings and pedestrians quickly passed by in a blur, the young man sulked. Do I call it off and reschedule it to another day? No… That would probably just upset her further. She didn't seem too bothered by what happened but I also know that she's really good at acting. Arnold then remembered how she had hugged him in an attempt to console his feelings. That hug was reassuring though… maybe it's all just in my head. What's wrong with me? Mustering up all of his positive feelings and drinking them in, in an attempt to drag himself out of worry, Arnold turned to his grandpa.

"Would you mind dropping us off at the park, Grandpa?" He asked innocently; his elder turning to him with a shocked expression. "It's gotten fairly nice out and I think it would be a good day for a walk." He then turned to Helga for confirmation. "Right?"

Crossing her legs and looking as if he just asked her the most tiresome question ever, Helga brushed him off. "Whatever floats your boat, Football head." She replied, although on the inside remembering exactly what they had planned for today just days earlier and secretly becoming nervous.

Arnold turned back to Phil. "Would that be okay?" He asked eagerly.

Phil looked the boy over before grinning from ear to ear. "How could I say no to such a nice suggestion? Of course I'll drop you kids off at the park!"

Giving his grandpa another smiled, Arnold began to plan his next few hours accordingly while both of them secretly dreaded the conversation that they both were to have.


	13. Chapter 13

The park was warm and inviting; full of life with families all partaking in various events, as well as joggers, dog walkers and friend's playing games. It seemed as though everyone in Hillwood was aware of summer reaching its end and wanted to utilize the little bit of sun they had left.

Standing there awkwardly, Arnold considered his options. Should I start by apologizing again now that we're alone? He thought as he nervously looked up at his companion. She seemed to be quiet and content with their surroundings, which only made Arnold's nerves uneasy even more. Why is she being so quiet? I bet she's waiting for me to say something… But he couldn't think of anything to break the solid slab of ice that he put between them. Looking at her this way only reminded him of that dream he had, had with her in that fine white dress, overlooking the sea. He almost wondered if he was even able to speak to her now, despite this being reality.

"Ummm…" He slowly forced out, partially as a test to make sure he had a voice.

Turning her head slowly, Helga looked down to show him that he had her attention. "We gonna just stand here all afternoon or did you have something in mind for our date?" She asked simply, her tone rather bland.

Swallowing a little, Arnold still hadn't considered what to do next. The term date was so common yet so foreign to the young man. Sure, he knew what at date was. He knew that it was something a couple would do alone in order to get to know each other or just enjoy each other's company in private. He knew the standard dinner and a movie date, as well as sentimental dates like planning a picnic or watching a sunset together until they were surrounded by glittering stars up above… But what was his plan here? Shameful that he hadn't taken the time to organize the date in his head, Arnold scratched his arm and frowned. "I'm sorry, Helga. I guess I didn't really think this one through enough." He confessed. Looking away as to not see her expression, Arnold focused on another couple holding hands and smiling at each other. "I was so focused on that whole photo shoot and making sure everything was done correctly, that I almost forgot about the date in general…"

She could hear how sad his voice was, and although it did sting a little to hear such words, Helga knew his heart was in the right place as were his priorities. "It's… Okay, Arnold." She replied, hoping she didn't sound as disappointed as she sounded to herself. Doing her best to cheer him up, Helga chuckled. "Truth be told, I sorta forgot about it too."

"Really?" Arnold turned around, a little stunned to hear that on account of how excited she had been over the whole idea in general.

Feeling a blush begin to creep over the young girl's face, she quickly shook it away and began to walk in front of him. "Let's get a move on, Football head! Daylight isn't stopping itself for us, Doi." She could feel Arnold hustle on next to her but continued to look ahead. Crap, I gotta stop resorting to my usual tactics… She told herself inside her head, in fear of ruining the date that had barely begun. Just stay calm, Helga old girl. It's not like you guys are alone… in a dark room together, right? It just regular Arnold in the regular park, full of regular people! Nothing out of the ordinary…

Seeing Helga's flustered expression gave Arnold mixed feelings. Was she unhappy? Was she too happy? She was very hard to read. Walking along the path at a casual speed, Arnold took in his surroundings. "It's a nice day out, right?" He asked, damning himself for reverting to small talk.

"Yep." She replied shortly, still refusing to look over at him.

"Birds are singing, sun is shining…" Arnold continued, now letting the nervousness begin to show through his voice.

"What's your point, Arnold?" Helga snapped with a scowl.

Sighing, Arnold shook his head. "I'm not very good at this Helga, could you at least help me out?"

His honesty caught the girl off guard. Still looking ahead, she spied a nearby clearing that was vacant enough for her liking. "What do you think I'm doing?" She spat out, "I got us from being stuck in the ground back there and I'm moving us some place decent."

Tilting his head in confusion, the boy felt's load felt a little lighter as he trusted her and followed at her own pace. "Oh." He too could see the vacant clearing in front of them, and assumed that she was leading him there.

The park was a rather large place that was filled with freshly mowed grass, lots of large trees, sturdy benches and even a chess area as well as a pond. In front of them was a small clearing of trees, a little ways off the path that they were on. The sun shone through the trees and onto the lawn in front of them; the sound of pedestrians off in the distance.

Beginning to feel nervous again, Arnold clenched his fists and turned his head slowly to his partner, who looked about as uncomfortable as he was. "Have you been here before?" He asked.

"When you want to get away from your parents as much as I do, you find lots of quiet places to relax in." Helga responded dryly before finding a nice patch of grass and sitting herself down. She crossed her legs together and got comfortable. "Come on, Football head… Let's talk."

Feeling his heart in his throat, Arnold nodded and did as he was told. Placing himself next to her, he too had a seat.

Silence overwhelmed them for what felt like forever as each mulled over what they wanted to say. The subject in question was very obvious but neither knew how to come out and say it.

Fiddling with her shoelace, Helga glanced over at Arnold a few times before letting out a loud groan. "Alright then, I guess I'll start." Straightening her back, she forced her body to maneuver in a way to make her facing him. She could see his boyish face was reflecting something not so easy to talk about, and she sighed quietly. "Look, I know you're…" She started, although pausing as she thought of how to describe him in spite of what he thought of himself, "Not too happy with what happened back there, but it's not the end of the world and you don't need to keep apologizing." She said, knowing full well that the moment she was done talking that he would, in fact, say he was sorry. "It just kinda… sorta… happened and…" Her face became red as she gazed upon his unknowing face, "It's not like I…. hated it."

Surprised to hear her words, Arnold's eyes got wide. "You… didn't?" He asked innocently, feeling as though he had heard her incorrectly.

Helga shook her head. "No…" She clarified, feeling her throat becoming dry at her own confession. Closing her eyes, she continued "In fact I…. kinda liked it." She breathed out, terrified to see what his expression would be but not brave enough to look herself.

Arnold blinked a few times, wondering if he heard her right. "You… liked it?" He was astonished.

"Yes!" The girl yelled out in frustration, so hard that she almost found herself falling backwards. She opened her eyes warily and saw his dumbfounded face. "Crimity! You don't have to look like that, you know!" She continued to fluster. "It's not like it's a big deal or anything! You're a guy, I'm a girl! I like you, you like me! These things are pretty basic, Arnoldo or are you that dumb that you didn't know that?"

Her words flew throughout his brain, banging this way and that way as he tried to fully understand them. What she was saying did sound pretty normal, however if that was the case, why did he feel so bad about it? Was that what she meant in his dream when she referred to them being sick? That she felt the same way? Arnold had known Helga for a long time, practically all his life and although her confession of love for him years ago threw him for a loop, and although he knew she was an incredibly passionate and outgoing person, it hadn't once dawned upon him that maybe she had the same longing feelings for him deep down, despite all those times she kissed him. Beginning to feel a little giddy, Arnold let out a quiet laugh that slowly and gradually became louder and full of feeling.

Helga sat there completely confused. "What?!" She asked loudly, now feeling embarrassed as if he was laughing at what she had said.

Placing his hand up to silence her and give himself a moment to collect himself, Arnold steadied his breath and looked at her with fondness in his eyes. He wiped the tears of laughter that had formed in his eyes "You're right," He finally spoke out, causing her eyes to widen a little. "I guess I was just over thinking things." He then scratched the back of his head, and gave her a boyish grin "I'm sorry if I worried you, Helga. I was just… really surprised at how I felt…" Arnold looked down shyly, "and what I wanted to do…"

She could see his cheeks turn red as he voiced his feelings and butterflies began to scatter inside her chest. "What you wanted to do?" She repeated, unsure of herself. Becoming antsy, Helga began to squirm in her seat. "What did you… want to do, Football head?" She asked as she too looked down, not daring to look at him straight. It was the moment of truth and there she was putting him on the spot, again. Sure, they were officially dating now and he had told her how he felt, but to what extent the girl did not know.

Arnold could see she felt just as shy as he did and he pushed his uncertainties in the back of his mind. Placing his hand on hers, he caused her to look up and he gazed into her brilliant blue eyes. "I know it sounds silly… but…" He said, leaning into her and feeling his hunger slowly grow from the depth of his being. "I couldn't help myself…"

"What do you mean?" Helga softly asked, being drawn into his eyes as well and letting the warmth of his hand soar through her body.

"I just wanted to…" He continued, his heart pounding so heard he was sure others could probably hear it.

"Yes… Arnold?" She breathed back, desperately hoping he would show her his true intentions.

His eyes were fixated on her lips once more. Just relax… he told himself as he inched forward. I've done this before, right? It's just Helga… It's not wrong to give in… right? Coaching himself a little, he could feel his body becoming less tense as he felt her hand through his fingers. Wanting absolutely nothing more than to pull her close to him and kiss her, Arnold could feel himself slowly losing control. Just go for it!

"My ball!" A young child's voice called out, causing the focus of both hormone induced pre-teens to break as a small ball bounced towards them.

Arnold sighed heavily and picked up the red sphere, placing a wholesome smile on his face and bringing it over to its rightful owner. "Is this yours?" He asked the little girl who looked to be about 4 years old.

"Yes!" She smiled from ear to ear, sticking her hands out for it. "Can I have it back, please?"

Placing the ball in her hands, Arnold felt both completely disappointed in the ruined moment but also a sense of relief. "Here you go. Keep it safe this time, okay?"

"Yes sir!" The girl replied before running away happily.

Arnold stood there; his back still turned to his partner and lamented his situation. It was almost as if some otherworldly being was purposely throwing obstacles in his way. He could hear Helga getting up and walking over to him. "Today is just not my day."

Helga chuckled and grabbed his hand; lacing their fingers together in a soothing way. "Seems that way, Football head" She replied.

He looked at her to see her in a rare, calm type of mood. "Still wanna get ice cream? It's probably going to get dark soon anyway."

"Sure." Helga responded as she let him lead the way, not breaking their union despite others being around. "However I thought you liked us being in the dark?" She teased.

Arnold blushed and scowled "S-Stop." He flustered.

Their journey to the ice cream shop had become much more pleasant once they had received their intended treat. Sitting at one of the booths far off in a corner, the couple talked and laughed about random events. It was beginning to feel like a normal date with only a little awkwardness, which was normal.

About an hour had passed since the two had devoured their frozen treats and it was eventually time for them to venture on home. Walking Helga to the usual spot in front of her house, Arnold bid her farewell with a small kiss on top of her hand.

"I hope you had a good time" He smiled charmingly as he let go of her hand.

Helga couldn't help but smile back after lightly grazing the spot he had just kissed with the thumb. "I did. It was actually pretty nice, I'll have to admit. I wasn't expecting much but…" She trailed off for a moment as she got lost in his entrancing green eyes, "but it was fun. Thanks, Arnold."

Feeling as though he had just completed a momentous task, Arnold smile grew. "I'm glad." He spoke, his words emanating from the depth of his heart. "I had fun too."

After a few passing moments of neither of them wanting to say goodnight, the two separated.

With much anticipation and love in her heart, Helga quickly ran into her house, past her parents and proceeded down into her base where she promptly turned on all of her screens and injected the camera's memory cards into the computer. Knowing she had all night to edit the photos in a way she knew would both please her father and catch the eyes of the public, Helga grabbed a yahoo from a small mini fridge nearby that she had stashed a long time ago. "Time to work the midnight oil!" She stated as she popped open the bottle.

Arnold's walk home was quiet but peaceful. With his head in the clouds, the boy placed his hands inside his coat pockets and peered up at the night's sky. It had turned dark shortly after they had finished their ice creams and he knew it was best if he came home before it got too late. He had replayed today's events over in his mind again and again, each time reflecting fondly on a few key moments. A hue of pink graced the boy's cheek as he remembered Helga's small confession. She… liked it, huh? He thought, feeling a little giddy on the inside. Something so simple, yet so meaningful; It was if all had become right in the world inside the boy's heart.

Upon entering the boarding house, Arnold was greeted by his parents who expectedly asked him about the contents of the day. With much enthusiasm, he recounted the events bit by bit, although leaving out some key components, and left them with positive energy. His first date had become a success! Now all that was left was of his plot was in the hands of the others.

Small 8 bit musical notes could be heard across a dark bedroom, as well as a bright, flickering small light which came from a small device. Looking over at the item in question, Rhonda sat herself up in her bed. She reached over and grabbed the small piece of technology and opened it up. In front of her shown a small piece of mail with the words "New" just above the right corner. Groaning, the girl pulled her legs up to her chest and frowned. She had no energy, no spark, no light, no… no nothing. Everything just felt like a bother to her at that very moment. Assuming the email had been just some other idols updated status; she turned off the phones screen and rested it next to her.

"Why me…?" She whined softly to herself, as she rested her back up against a pillow and looked up at her darkened ceiling.

The day had started off perfectly well for her. Rhonda had kept in contact with Marcy all week long and had been long awaiting meeting this famous model. Everything she had wanted was set in place… that was until the unthinkable happened. It was as if the devil himself had risen up and stuck upon her the most unholiest of curses. Unable to do anything about her predicament, all the girl could do was stay home and cry herself to sleep. "It's like… my world is over…" She lamented; tears forming in the corner of her eyes. "I'll never be the same again…"

Slipping back down under her blankets, Rhonda rolled over and placed her face inside her overly fluffy pillow. "It's like I'm being punished! What could I have ever done to deserve this?!" She yelled as she began to beat on her bed.

She had called Nadine earlier to relay her bad fortune and hoped to get a bit of sympathy from her best friend, but her best friend only kicked her down a notch with logic and realism.

"It was bound to happen at some point, Rhonda." Nadine's words echoed in the young woman's mind. "Mother nature gave you a gift."

"But why me?!" Rhonda cried into her phone, hoping to get some answer that would sooth her but to her dismay, no answer existed.

"What do you me 'why me?'" Nadine asked, a touch confused at the silly question. "You do realize that this is a perfectly natural thing, right? It already happened to me and a few other girls in our grade… I'm not sure why you're so surprised."

"Because!" Rhonda shouted but was only immediately interrupted on the other end.

"Because you think that you're gonna stay a kid forever or something?" Nadine asked with dull humor.

Rhonda began to feel a little silly at her friend's statement and found herself blushing in spite of herself. "N-no…. I know that's impossible but with this wretched 'gift', I will no longer be able to be the same anymore! Mother said that I'd now blossom into a fine woman like herself but… All that means is I'm going to get old and ugly!"

"You're mother is far from ugly, Rhonda." Nadine corrected with a little surprise. "She looks great for her age!"

"That's not the point!" Rhonda said as she was beginning to become impatient with her friend as well as herself. "Just… Just never mind!"

Nadine gave a small sigh. She was aware that Rhonda was very difficult to persuade but this was beginning to get ridiculous. "Look, just take some painkillers and go to sleep. Sleeping usually helps me." The blonde girl suggested with nothing but warm kindness, "It will eventually pass and you'll be your usual self again. It's not the end of the world, Rhonda."

But it was, to her. Rhonda continued to roll around in the dark of her room and think of all the bad that would come from her surprise gift from Mother Nature. No more swimming freely, no more going to school unhindered, she would always have to carry around these gross feminine products where ever she went… and then, there were her clothes; her precious clothes that were absolutely ruined today. The girl had went through all of her wardrobe the night prior to pick out the most perfect outfit she possibly could in order to impress her guest: A vintage blue shirt together with a jean coat, some faded cut jean pants with the hem all lopsided and finished with some bright platform shoes. It had taken her nearly forever to pick out exactly what she wanted to wear and now… half of that outfit was in the compost. Her mother was sympathetic to the situation and offered to buy her some new clothes to replace those; however that wasn't the point, not to Rhonda. Now she would always have to worry about ruining her clothes for the rest of her young life.

Whimpering, Rhonda let a few tear drops escape the sides of her eyes as she closed them in an attempt to sleep once more. My life is ruined now… she repeated in her head over and over. With hopes of tomorrow being a better day, the young woman finally allowed herself to drift back into slumber.

The next morning went as normal as could be expected. Rhonda had woken up bright and early with the smell of bacon coming from down stairs. She arose and looked around in a daze, forgetting the events of yesterday. She proceeded in going in her closet and picking out an outfit; laying each piece of the ensemble on her bed nicely before finally agreeing to her decision. She took off her nightgown and was about to change her undergarments before the smack of reality hit her once more. Letting out a loud groan of annoyance, the girl threw the night gown out of her hand and onto the floor.

"Rhonda darling, your breakfast is ready!" She heard her mother call from downstairs; however the girl no longer had an appetite.

Giving in to her misfortune and accepting the circumstances, Rhonda dressed appropriately and dragged herself downstairs and into the dining room. Both of her parents were already at the table awaiting her. Once seated, her mother looked up at her from her phone and smiled.

"Good morning darling! How did you sleep?" She asked as cheerful as ever. It was almost as though the woman had forgotten that the world had suddenly halted for her beloved only child.

"Yes, I heard you had quiet an eventful day planned yesterday." Her father chimed in as his face was still planted in his newspaper. "How did that go for you?"

Looking over at her mother with sorrowful eyes, Rhonda was at a loss of words. Had she told her father? Was he completely oblivious to the fact her world was currently in shambles?! Or were they all just acting as though nothing had happened?

Getting the hint, Mrs. Lloyd cleared her throat and placed a warm hand on her daughters. "Yes her day was quite eventful." The woman replied to her husband, realizing how insensitive the question of his might have been. "I've made sure to have the cook prepare your favorite breakfast! It should be out shortly." She finished with a wink.

Despite the lack of constructive parenting from both adults, Rhonda knew that she was much loved and that she was the core of her parent's world. The fact that her mother went out of her way to get her favorite meal made for her, melted her heart and brought tears to her eyes. "Thank you, Mother. That might help my mood…"

Nodding and removing her hand, Brooke went back to her cell phone which then reminded Rhonda of her own. Pulling it out of her pants pocket, she turned on the screen to reveal the same new email message that had been there since last night. Now interested in what it could possibly be, she clicked "open" to view its contents. One by one, images fully loaded and popped up on her screen of the model she had invited. Looking at the sender, they were from Helga.

Hmm… The pictures they took aren't that bad. She thought as she scrolled through them all. I could have taken better, though. It seemed as though Helga had, in fact, pulled an all-nighter and done her best to edit the photos to being of professional quality. At the end of the steam of pictures, a note had been written: "You better post these pictures up somewhere good and get a lot of attention Princess, especially since you ditched us yesterday."

Right, I never did tell them I wasn't coming… Oh I hope Marcy wasn't too disappointed. I bet those geeks made a fool out of her! She thought as she immediately went to her messenger to contact the girl. No new messages awaited her, however she still felt she needed to say something:

"Hello Marcy!  
I'm so sorry for not making it yesterday. I had really been anticipating our meeting, yet I regret to inform you that something sudden came up and I was forced to not attend. Were my friends nice to you? Did everything happen as it should? Please inform me if there were any mishaps that I need to look into! I hope we're able to meet someday, until then, keep in touch! –Rhonda"

With quick read through of her own message, Rhonda sighed contently as she pressed send. Hearing the door to her dining room open up, the girl looked in anticipation to see her meal had arrived.

"Oh very good, breakfast is served." Buckley cheered as he finally placed his newspaper down and awaited the food.

As her food was placed down in front of her, Rhonda could feel her mouth begin to water. "Thank you so much Mommy! Daddy!" she cried out.

Looking at each other with fondness, the parents touched hands. "Anything for you, my darling." Brooke spoke out before grabbing her own utensils.

Maybe this isn't…. so bad. Rhonda thought as she began to eat. At least I'll be able to get pampered while this curse is affecting me.

Meanwhile, somewhere far away in an undisclosed location…

A woman walked into her place of work with a weary appearance. Things had gotten harder lately as more and more work needed to be done with fewer and fewer people to aid her. With budgets at an all time high, she was unable to provide any of her associates with all the tools needed to complete their job and many were just walking out on her. She walked into her office and gazed around the small room. Everything was tidy and in its proper place however one thing caught her eye. Noticing a small piece of paper on the floor that might had been slid under her door the night prior, she picked it up. The headlines that read across it along with the picture of the item provided piqued the woman's interest. She gripped the paper with excitement and hurried on over to her desk, flipped open her laptop and began to type the contents of the paper inside of an internet search engine to verify the papers authenticity. Immediately, a website popped up and with wide eyes, she scrolled through the information.

"This is it…" She whispered to herself, her eyes darting back and forth around the screen and taking everything in. "This may not solves our problems all together but it will definitely help!"

Opening up her desk, the woman pulled out a note book and pen and began to write down a phone number. Picking up her own company phone, she pressed a number and waited a moment. "Diane? Yes it's me." She spoke to her receiver, "Do me a favor and come to my office as soon as possible, there is something I want you to see!"

The woman hung up and waited patiently as she continued to eyeball her computer screen. Seeing the date that had been posted on the website, she feelings of excitement began to simmer down. It had been uploaded months ago so the fear began to set in that its advertisement was no longer valid. Feeling her heart speed up in anticipation, she almost jumped out of her seat the moment her office door swung open.

"What is it you want me to see?" An older woman asked with an out of breath voice.

Standing up from her seat, she offered the paper to her companion who gladly accepted. "This. How long has this flier been in our building and why is this the first I'm seeing it?" She asked with a voice of authority.

The older woman gently took her glasses that had been hanging around her neck and applied them to her face. With a squint, she looked over the papers contents. "Oh this? I don't know… a week possibly?" The older woman replied before lowering her glasses once more. "We get many advertisements from passerbyers, Director… and many of them are just scams. I apologize if this has inconvenienced you."

"Inconvenienced?" The woman repeated, astounded. "I want you to call this place immediately and find out if they still have their stock in supply! Our workers need these in order to do their job and just look at the price!"

Feeling as though she had failed her superior and wanting nothing more than to right what was wrong, the woman grasped the paper and nodded before rushing out the door.

Diane had ran passed the doctors and nurses that lingered the halls and made it to her front desk. Picking up her phone, she dialed the number on the paper and waited for someone to answer her call. After a moment, a sleepy sounding woman answered the phone.

"Hello? Yes, I'm calling from Saint Paul's Hospital. We've stumbled upon one of your going out of business fliers and wondered if you have liquidated your assets yet?" The woman paused and gave a concerned look. "If you've sold all your beepers, ma'am?" Waiting another moment, her eyes then lit up in happiness and she nodded. "Yes, yes we're interested in buying some. Maybe all of them, depending on what you have left!"


	14. Chapter 14

Sunday. It was finally Sunday. Helga rolled around in the darkness of her room and contemplated the meaning of what that day meant. It meant a few things: The beginning of the week, The day before school started back up again, A day of relaxation, A day of worship- for some even if not for her, A day where many businesses are closed in order to spend some time with their family. Sunday was just one of those days that people looked forward to. Shutting her eyes tightly, the young girl meditated on all of those things as she felt the anger inside her starting to boil up. Sunday is the only day of the freaking week that I ever get some peace and quiet in this place…! She thought before her eyes burst open. Peering to the right of her, she looked down at the yellow light that had been emanating from the lit hallway next to her. It was so early and yet there was such a commotion going on that it had woke her up from her blissful slumber and threw her into a fit of agitation.

With her brain still full of the lingering dust of her dreams, she forced herself up and out of her warm bed, threw on whatever clothes her hands touched first and swung open her bedroom door. The noise only got louder and she continued towards it. What was the noise? It was voices, lots of voices. The Beeper Emporium sounded like if it was a middle school cafeteria with the random assortment of sounds that were jumbled together in one large inaudible mess. Unable to process any of the information being sent to her brain, Helga continued on her path until she reached the showroom.

Standing back with a bit of awe and confusion, she took in the sight before her. There in her family's "living room", which was once the main showcasing area for the store, was a crowd of people from all different ages, sexes and backgrounds. They darted back and forth, oohing and awing at all the different models on display while Bob bounced between the lots. It only took a moment for his eyes to fall on his sleepy daughter.

"Helga!" He yelled in a voice that the young girl hadn't heard in what seemed like ages. Breaking away from the cluster, he charged in her direction. His face mimicked that of the once happy man he used to be as he placed his large doughy hands on her shoulders. "Look at this place!" He spoke in admiration as he turned his head to look back at his customers. "You did it, girl!"

"I… did what?" Helga responded, looking at the same view he was and still trying to make heads or tails of it all.

"You and your little friend's plan worked!" He said, turning back to his dumbfounded daughter again. His eyes gleamed in the sort of way a pirate's would when stumbling on a large treasure. "Look at all these people!"

Finally grasping the sight and the man's words, Helga's eyes began to widen as she took it all in. "It worked?" She questioned to both herself and he father. She could see a few people beckoning her father over and she felt him pat her on the shoulder before removing his hands.

"I gotta get back to them but come out here and help me, will ya?" He asked before rushing back over to the needy customers.

Helga stood there and watched as her father became engrossed in his work. She had heard his request but found herself unable to move for a moment. Looking around, she noticed her mom was showing a few girls some of the newer styles that had come in shortly before they went out of business. Even Miriam is helping… She thought as she scratched her bed head into an even more unruly style.

Thinking back to the night before, Helga remembered editing the photos of the model and spending all night making sure everything looked flawless before sending them to Rhonda. Rhonda must have posted the pictures already… Crimity that didn't take long. Her thoughts continued as she watched her father cash out a couple before shaking their hands and leading them out the door.

Everything was almost a little too much to take in and the blonde girl could feel her head spinning. It was as if opportunities were just opening doors around her left and right with the possibility of her family becoming normal again- at least back to whatever normal was for them. Feeling the lead in her legs begin to ease up, Helga walked towards the scene and did her best to become part of her family business.

Eight hours seemed to fly by as if it were only one, and Helga found herself sitting on the sofa as she watched her father count the registers till.

"Miriam, how many boxes do we still have left?" He asked, as he wrote down some numbers on a piece of receipt paper.

Wearily, the weathered woman stood up from her seat and began to look through the empty boxes of beepers now tossed around on the floor. One by one, she broke down each empty box and compiled them into a stack before heading to the full boxes left over. "About… four, I think." She responded as she struggled to pick one up to place it on top of another.

"Four, huh…" Bob thought out loud; biting the top of his pen with a look of distress.

"I think there are a few more of the older boxes down in the basement." Helga chimed in, knowing her words would only add to her father's concern.

"Yeah, I was afraid of that." Bob responded to his youngest before ripping up his paper and beginning his math again.

"Look on the bright side, B!" Miriam said from behind the stacked boxes, "We've sold more today than we have in the past 6 months."

Knowing his wife was right brought a little light into the man's reality, however it didn't change their current situation. In order for them to pull up from debt and break even in profit, they would need to sell their remaining boxes and even then some! Turning to Helga, Bob stiffened his stance. "Got anymore tricks up your sleeve, young lady?" He asked plainly; hiding the little hope he had left deep within.

Helga turned her head and raised her eyebrow. "Since when do you care about my ideas?" She asked, genuinely surprised to hear his words.

Her words stung him and the older man frowned. "Oh come on, Helga." He said as he made his way to her lax form on the sofa. "Give your old man a break, will ya? You're a Pataki! You got a good head on your shoulders, just like your sister Olga! Time to use your noggin."

The girl scoffed and rolled her eyes at his words. Was he trying to compliment her by comparing her to her sister? Or was he just trying to say that all Pataki's were smart including himself? Either way, it was nice to get a little recognition from the big blowhard. Helga could see the desperation in her father's face and gave a heavy sigh. "Unfortunately Bob, there are no more tricks up these sleeves." She explained, "And the idea that just got all those people practically eating out of your hands wasn't even mine at all, it was Arnold's."

The truth made the man's eyes go wide. "Alfred?" He repeated, "Your friend from school with the weird shaped head?"

Helga nodded and straightened her body. "That's right, Arnold. It was all his brilliant idea that he came up with for our school project and instead of just writing it down on paper, he made it a reality for us." She admitted with the love for the boy filling her heart. She knew her dad wasn't going to be pleased knowing that the idea wasn't all hers but she also didn't want to lie about it either. "So if there's anyone you want to talk to about ideas, it's him."

Bob stood up and crossed his arms. "Yeah you can just take that idea out to the backyard and shoot it." He said with a snort. "You won't find me going to some orphan kid and asking him for help."

"He's not an orphan, Bob. You've even met his parents... and you weren't complaining when he was wracking you in tons of money." Helga said ironically, causing her father to look at her with discouragement.

"Yeah well I also wasn't the one who asked him for help. We Pataki's can fend for ourselves just fine!" Bob explained, his voice increasing with his usual tone of authority.

Helga let out a loud laugh. "That's rich!" She said as she stood up and pointed her small index finger at the man. "We can fend for ourselves? Just what have you been doing about our problem since we got into this mess, huh?" She then pointed towards where the kitchen was in the distance. "Have you even seen our food supply?! I haven't had a decent meal here in weeks and we're fending for ourselves? What are we? A pack of wolves and your our leader?" She then let out another loud laugh. "It that was the case, you would have been kicked out of the pack ages ago! Oh wait-" But before she could continue her rant, the large man raised his hand in anger and caused her to stop.

"Don't you say another word, missy!" He threatened.

"Or what?" She asked, completely unphased by his intimidation tactics. "You're completely blinded by your own arrogance, Bob and it's about time you wake up and smell the rot between your ears! I'm starving and the only reason we've made some money is because of help from someone else who actually cared about how I've been living!"

"Starving?! What do you mean? I've been giving your mother about 200 big ones for food every other week!" He said, turning to his wife who was casually walking towards the kitchen with an empty glass.

Helga waved her arms in the air. "Well that's a surprise because our food supply is practically nil. If you don't believe me, why not have a look for yourself."

Bob did as suggested and charged passed her and his wife and stopped in the kitchen. There, he opened up each cupboard as well as the refrigerator and freezer. "What the hell, Miriam?! Where is all the food?!"

"W-what are you talking about, B?" Miriam replied softly as she placed her hand on his back as soon as she reached him in an attempt to calm him down. "We've just eaten it all. Don't you remember? You wanted Chinese take-out the last few days."

"Or maybe Miriam has been spending it in other ways…" Helga stated as she pointed to the sink where a blender was waiting to be washed.

Completely ignoring Helga's statement, he turned to his wife. "You mean to tell me that a few days worth of Kung pow Chicken has us broke for the week in food? Just how high have they raised their prices?!"

Miriam shrugged and gave her husband a weak smile. "Relax honey!" She coaxed, "We're not broke for the week, remember? We just made a whole bunch of money!" She then ushered the large man out of the kitchen and into his beat up recliner. "Now why don't you just sit down and watch your shows, huh? You've worked hard for today and could use a break. Whatcha say?"

Helga watched as her mother successfully lulled the man's temper and avoided incrimination. Things will never change, will they? She thought as she crossed her arms and watched them from a distance. What's the use of arguing with Big Bob anyhow? In the end, I'll never be right in his eyes. Just when will he wake up and see just what's going on? She's using all of the little funds we get from the left over contracts on herself and satisfying him with cheap take out!

Depression began to fill her small body and Helga decided to escort herself out of the emporium for a little fresh air. It wasn't like her to just give up a fight, however a fight with her father was honestly more effort than it was worth sometimes. For a brief moment, Helga though back to the moment right before Olga jumped back on a plane to Alaska:

"If anything goes wrong, baby sister, I don't want you to hesitate to contact me!" The older sibling said as she hugged the younger one tightly. She waited until her parents were at a far enough distance to continue, "I know just how stubborn and difficult daddy can be…" She said with a frown as she let go of Helga and placed both of her hands on the young girls cheeks; peering into her bright blue eyes. "But don't let him get to you! You're amazing, Helga and one day he'll see it!"

"Right," Helga scoffed back at the optimistic young adult. "And one day fish will swim out of my ears."

Olga looked at her younger sister with sadness in her eyes. "I mean it Helga…" She said sincerely. "What you did for your little friend back there was something not even I could do. I may have a lot of awards and metals to show for my success but…" Her voice trailed off as she remembered everything Helga had sacrificed in San Lorenzo. "But nothing I have done in my lifetime will amount to what you did for that boy and his family!"

Feeling her hard heart soften up at her sisters words, Helga avoided the older sister's gaze. "You're changing lives in your own way, Olga. Don't give me all this credit for no reason."

Chuckling at her young girl's modesty, Olga took her into her arms one last time before she had to leave. "Always remember, baby sister that only you can be you, and who you are is the most important thing in the world! Don't forget that ever ever ever! Okay?" She said, tears forming in her eyes. "And just know that if you ever need me, I'm just a letter away."

Helga had considered writing to Olga a few times since she had left but always tossed the idea out of her mind as her stubbornness rivaled that of her father's. Maybe I should write to her… It couldn't hurt, could it? I've written to her in the past. She thought as she looked around her surroundings. It was starting to get dark outside and Helga began to realize she had wasted her entire Sunday working for her father. The thought made the girl's brow wrinkle.

"Stupid Bob and his stupid Beepers ruining my perfectly good day off from school!" Helga yelled as she kicked an empty soda can across the parking lot. She thought back to Bob's attempt at a complement and it only fueled the fire burning inside her heart. "He was almost proud of me… until I told him the truth. So what if it was Arnold's idea that got a bunch of geeks and floosies to buy our crappy beepers? At least we sold some, that's all that should matter. Not like I need his stupid approval anyway…"

She could feel her heart sink lower and lower at the thought of her own words. She knew she didn't actually need his approval but the thought that he was actually about to offer it at the thought of it being all her idea to advertise beepers in such a way... It actually meant a lot. Her family needed a lot of help and it wasn't just financially either. Helga looked up at the parting clouds that slowly moved through the sky and thought of some of the wonderful things that Arnold had told her to cheer herself up. He believed in her abilities as well as Olga. Phoebe never once doubted her either so why was it so hard for her own father to believe in her? Her mother was of no help either, the way she currently was. It was so easy for her to just dodge the bullet that Helga had deliberately shot straight at her in hopes of her at least taking responsibility for her own actions. Why did Bob let her manipulate him like that? A man like him was not easily controlled, especially by some half attempted ploy such as the one Miriam pulled. Did he purposely let her do that or was he really that blind?

Taking in a deep breath, Helga let out a low growl before heading back on inside. It was time to get some answers to many of her age old questions. Knowing her command center was the safest place for her to be, as well as the quietest, she quickly headed on down there after grabbing a notebook and pen along the way. After entering the dusty electrical hub, she plopped the notebook down and stared at it. Am I really going to do this? She wondered. Knowing these actions were probably the best chance of helping her figuring out her family, she flipped the notebook open and began to write.

After a few painfully long hours of writing, scribbling things out and rewriting, Helga had finished her project: A letter to Olga. Satisfied with its contents, she ripped the papers out of the notebook and placed them neatly in a small envelope already addressed to her older sister.

"I'll just place these in a mailbox on the way to school." She said to herself before licking the adhesive and closing the letter shut. Wondering how long it would take for her sister to respond, or if she would even respond at all, Helga leaned back in her computer chair and relaxed herself. A moment letter, her relaxation was interrupted by a small "Bleep" from her computer screen. With much interest, Helga leaned forward and used her mouse to click the notification on her desktop.

"I have an email?" She questioned out loud with a hint of skepticism. "Who in blazes would be emailing me, of all people?"

After her simple question, a answer awaited her immediately upon loading the application which held their school's student bulletin board. In front of her read a familiar name she hadn't suspected would ever email her again. "GoldenHero."

"Crimity…" She whispered out with a hint of irritation, "What could he want?"

Opening the email, Helga began to read its contents:

"To Helgoth  
From: GoldenHero  
Subject: If a silent soul could speak,

I hope this message meets you well, although I'm consumed with the gnawing intuition of naught. Still do I drift amongst the endless sea of my love for you, bobbing away at each time you are near. This will never change; I fear but fret not as I am content with my one-sided feelings. Your existence in this misguided and false world in which we live will always be the reason I can make it another day more. I'm sure you understand my sentiment even if those feelings are not for me, nor will they ever be even if I wish. You have finally obtained your one true love, how is that going? You'd expect watching your brief hinted shows of affection towards one another would pain me like many thorns through the heart, however it is untrue. All I wish for is your happiness and that is what I get to see whenever you're with him. Day after day, silently I am graced with your increasing happiness and for this I am blessed. Have you replaced the picture inside your locket with one untended to by myself? Undoubtedly you have noticed my stalking has become less and less. It is for your own benefit rather than mine own. After all that has been said and done, I feel now more than ever you need your privacy so until the day I feel I am needed again, I will conceal my presence. Do tell me of any request you wish of me, in the meantime as I would love nothing more than to aid you with anything I have. Remember that you are the oxygen I need to live. Anything you need, there I'll be.

Always and forever your love servant,

-GoldenHero"

Helga scratched her head violently for a second with a mix of feelings that overwhelmed her. It had been ages since he had shot her a message, so why now? Knowing the only way to get an answer to her questions, Helga slowly hesitated before pressing reply.

"To: GoldenHero  
From: Helgoth  
Subject: Re-If a silent soul could speak,

Thanks for the thought… I think? Why exactly are you telling me this? Are you saying you're happy that I'm finally together with Arnold and that's why you haven't been your usual heavy breathing annoying self around me? I appreciate the privacy you've been giving me lately but why do you think I need something from you? What's the purpose of this message?"

Sinking back into her seat, it only took a moment for another "bleep" to ping into her ears, notifying her of her recipients' quick response. With a little anxiety, she clicked on her new message.

"To: Helgoth  
From: GoldenHero  
Subject: The answer's to your questions,

Thank you for your patience and response. Indeed I am saying that I am stepping away from your spotlight in hopes of you achieving even further happiness without my shadow looming over you. My ever persistence in the past was due to hoping that if you ever needed me, I could assist in any way I could. I was fortunate to be of use once, and I'm requesting the opportunity to be of use once more. I know of your troubles at home. I know of the heavy heart your carry that is chained to the cell of your family. How may I be of service to you? As always, your secrets are safe with me."

"How… does he know about my family?" Helga gasped in shock. Looking around nervously as if to find a secret camera recording her life, Helga began to think about her own stalkerish habits when concerning Arnold and how much she knew about his life; it wasn't too far out into left field to think that Brainy had just as much info on her own life. Swallowing the little saliva that dwelled within her now dry mouth, Helga clicked reply.

"To: GoldenHero  
From: Helgoth  
Subject: I want all the answers,

Alright bucko, if you want to help me then I'll let you. First of all, how much do you know about my life? Secondly, why now of all times are you asking me if I need your help? You've never asked before and frankly this is all pretty weird to me. Lastly, if you know oh so much about me then you'd know that I have trouble talking to pretty much ANYONE about this subject, why on earth do you think I'd confide in you?!"

Helga could feel her head begin to spin a little as the timing for all of this was just too perfect. It was as if Brainy could hear her thoughts, or if he had been watching her outside the emporium just a little while ago… but even then, she hadn't said much out loud so… how?

A few moments had past and she could hear her parents walking around above her head. She could hear them discussing dinner- or rather, the lack thereof, and what to do about it. Although the voices above her were just murmurs, she could make out a few words. Something about them "going to the store" and "the girl's right" along with "making it up". Helga could feel her pulse quickening with the hopes of her father actually listening to her for once and accompanying Miriam with grocery shopping to ensure there actually be food in the fridge for once. A late dinner was better than one, after all.

Feeling her stomach beginning to agree with her, Helga was then interrupted again with the familiar notification sound and a "new" symbol. Quickly, she clicked her new email.

"To: Helgoth  
From: GoldenHero  
Subject: As you wish,

The very fact that you're communicating with me in such a manner brings tears of joy to my eyes. Thank you for this. To answer your first question: Your life is more important to me then mine own, therefore everything that lives within that realm is important to me. I know as much as I can. How much is that? I can't say I know how to answer that. It is best to assume I know as much as you do. To answer your second question: You're right. I have never once asked in the past if you needed help and for that I am ashamed. As you know, I am cowardly even if I mean well. Please forgive my past transgression and let us move forward with a more tangible relationship. One that, even if the depth doesn't quell my hearts needs, will allow me to breathe freely knowing I was helping the one I love move forward. I apologize if you feel any negative from my outreach. Lastly, I am aware of your difficulty of opening up to anyone and aware that my attempts might be in vain, however this will not dissuade me from pursuing. I have been in love with you just as long as you've been in love with him. You know that your secrets have always been safe with me nor would I ever do anything to make you think less of me than you already probably do. If it helps, pretend I am not here, for I am not if you will it. I am but a speck of salt in the sea; a broken branch in the brush; a molecule in life itself."

Concentrating on his words, Helga breathed slowly in and out. It was almost unfathomable to think that someone could care for her in the way he did. Would Arnold one day feel the same as Brainy did for her? She could only dream but she knew, with time maybe her dream could come true. She had already gotten farther than she could ever imagine with him… so maybe. Brainy's last words did concern her, however. Why does he think I think so little of him? She wondered as she reread his words. Yes, she had decked him more times than she had ever even spoken to him. Yes, she completely ignored his existence for at least 90% of her life… but it wasn't exactly on purpose. Brainy was like he had explained himself: a spec on the wall; a bug on a branch; something that was just there with no actual attention needed. He just existed.

"To: GoldenHero  
From: Helgoth  
Subject: Fine…

I don't THAT little of you, so don't think that. I'm sorry if anything I've done has ever made you feel that way. I admit I do know how you feel in that respect, though. I myself always feared that he thought low of me as well. If anyone knows that my actions don't always speak for me, it should be you. After all, you have been interrupting my most personal moments since we were in preschool…"

With a little moment of self contemplation, Helga took in a deep breath and continued on with her email to her silent classmate. Inside the email, she explained in full details the issues she had been facing with her family.

"Oh and one last thing…" She continued to write, "If you ever breathe a nasally breath of this to anyone, and I mean ANYONE! I don't care if it's your pet guinea pig, I will personally put an end to your life, do you understand me? … but feel free to tell me what you think, as well."

Nervously, the girl hit send and turned off the monitor to her computer. Of course she wanted to read whatever his thoughts were on the personal subject; however her nerves just wouldn't allow it at that time. She had already done enough gutsy things for today and could use some time to relax to herself. Looking over on her desk, she noticed her CD player was sitting there ready for her with her headphones already attached. Inside the machine was her favorite death metal band, The Dark Tormented, which she had listened to the night she had edited those pictures to give to Rhonda. Gingerly she applied the soft but slightly ripped pair of headphones to her ears and pressed play.

"Ahhh~ That's better…" she said to herself as she engulfed her whole being into the screaming words of some angsty teenage boy.

"Boop Beep" Went the sound of another computer in the distance. Sitting with a high amount of anticipation and inhaler in hand, Brainy took his boney arm to his mouse to click his new message. Breathing heavily, he read each word and clutched his heart. Before him was a well written, lengthy, novel type of message which oozed every bit of anger and passion that he had ever seen the light of his life emit. It almost seemed impossible, no maybe it was just unreal. He had noticed a change in the girl's personality ever since their adventures in the jungle, but this much growth in such a short period of time?

Feeling as though all the blood has rushed out of his body, Brainy quickly got out of his folding chair and to his bed where he collapsed. Taking a large inhale of his medicine, the boy let out a happy and longing sigh. She trusted him. It was almost too much for him to take!

Upon regaining his composure, the boy brought himself back to his glaring computer screen and reread her words. "but feel free to tell me what you think as well" were her last words. Nodding, Brainy brought all of the images she painted into his mind and began to draw conclusions. Her home life was no walk in the park, which he knew already but as he feared, things had gotten much worse. Even with the pick-up in sales, it seemed her father had learned nothing. Brainy shook his head in sadness and placed his fingers back on his keyboard. How to put his thoughts into words? This task was always the hardest to accomplish. Pouring words from the depth of his soul always seemed to flow like a raging river when it came to the topic of his idol; however this topic wasn't as easy or poetic. It dealt with the full frontal pain and suffering of someone he held so dear… What could he say? It wasn't fair that a brilliant being such as herself had to live this tragically. It was if her life was written by some playwright in the 1500s. Cast aside by her family, forever in the shadows of her older sibling who could do no wrong, forever her soul tortured by holding so deeply the one thing that made her life worth living… by one small act of innocent kindness…

Brainy could feel his windpipes begin to swell and he broke from his visions to shake his inhaler before puffing it again. Suddenly, as if the medicine super chaired his brain, Brainy got an idea. Quickly, he began to type:

"To: Helgoth  
From: GoldenHero  
Subject: Unorthodox question,

Is the computer you a speaking with me in that of your family's business? Please respond back at your earliest convenience.

As to your final request of me: I feel as though reaching out to your older sister in regards to your mother's health issue was a smart choice. As she is older than you, undoubtedly she has seen more than you have when it comes to the cause and possible aid to her recovery. As far as my thoughts go… It would seem that your mother's intolerable drinking habits stem from her feelings of worthlessness. Your father has a constant need to be an alpha male, therefore belittling the rest of your family, thus giving her a sense that her presence is unneeded. How I have come to such a conclusion is due to your few fond memories of her you have explained: Your road trip with her to see distant relatives and your father's injury which caused her to take hold of the business. In both instances, she was given the opportunity to be of use or become significant in your lives. My suggestion: Reach out to her in a tender, loving way that shows her you care about her feelings, rather than forcing her to confront the issue in an aggressive manner. As far as my thought on your father go… I agree with your assessment of him. It would seem that his superiority complex probably stems from his own upbringings. There is little you can do about this, however as it would seem trying to reason with the man could only do you harm. I couldn't dare bring myself to the thought of him hurting you further, my dearest. Do be careful in whatever path you take. You are only one person, after all. As magnificent as you are Helga, you simply cannot take on the whole world… at least not by yourself.  
Remember, if there is anything I can do to help you, I am only but an email away… unless you decide to request of me in person, of course.  
Lastly, I believe it would do YOU a great of good to let your beloved see your demons as well. I am fortunate enough to be able to look into your window, even if I'm the least deserving, but only he can quell your aching heart. Reach out to him and find the well of happiness you deserve."

The stand up fan in Brainy's room rotated around and let a soft breeze surround him, tussling the little spikes of hair on his head and giving him the sudden realization of a cold strand down his cheek. Bringing up a hand, he touched it. Her story had moved him more than he thought. Giving a small meek smile, the boy wiped the second tear that was about to emerge from his eye and hit "send". The feeling was liberating to be able to help Helga in such a way, even if it meant never being able to hold her himself.

The rest of the night for Helga resumed being pretty alright, as her father had ordered the family pizza as a somewhat faux apology to his daughter for his earlier outburst. Not much was said around the pizza box as the fragmented family ate in silence; aside from the babbling voice coming from the television nearby.

Not eating much of the feast herself, Miriam look back and forth between the two other easily hostile members and thought of something to break the ice.

"S-so Helga… What's it like for you in 5th grade?" She asked with an awkward smile.

"You're about 13 months too late for that question, Miriam" Helga responded without looking up at her mother and reaching for the pizza box. "Pass the pizza."

Bob let out a grunt and slid the box over with his meaty hand, his eyes still fixated on the television in front of him. "What do you mean 'too late'? You're only 10 Olga."

Helga rolled her eyes at his false statement as well as the misuse of a name and simply reached into the box and pulled out the last remaining slice. "I'm 12, Bob and my name is Helga. You said my name right earlier today, I guess it was asking too much for you to get it right twice in the same day, huh?"

"Yeah, Yeah whatever." The grumpy man replied, still fixated on his animated screen.

Rushing to make up for the mistake, Miriam cleared her throat and continued to look at her daughter. "So… You're in 6th grade then… right?" She asked hopefully. "Time sure does fly…"

"Of course it does when you're not paying attention to it." The girl scoffed back before repositioning her legs for a more comfortable sitting experience.

Miriam could feel herself becoming uneasy and frowned. Thinking back to the goal of a pleasant topic, she thought back to an earlier time. "I remember when your sister turned 12. Boy that was a big time for her…" She smiled and turned to her husband, "Right, B?"

Unfortunately the recipient of her question was too engrossed in his television program to hear her question and began to laugh loud at a bunch of men falling off a wagon and into a puddle of mud. "Crimity! These guys just never learn!" He spoke to himself between chuckles.

Turning back to her daughter who looked just as uninterested in their conversation as her father, Miriam chose to not give up hope and continue the topic. "Don't you wanna know what happened, Helga?" She asked innocently.

Giving a loud groan of annoyance, Helga turned her head to the aging woman. "To be perfectly honest, no I don't but if it will make you happy… Go ahead." Her response mimicked the look on her face.

The fight to keep a simple conversation going was beginning to tire out the woman, as she sighed but continued on with her endeavor. "Okay… Well your sister always had boys flocking to her, even when she was younger but when she was 12 she finally decided on her first boyfriend. I think his name was… James? No, maybe Joe?" Miriam explained, now questioning her own memory. "Oh well, It doesn't matter I guess. Anyway I remember when she went out on her first little date! Oh it was just the cutest little thing!" As she continued to think back to simpler times in their family's life, Miriam's eyes began to light up as well as the weight on her chest lift a little. "She wanted to look perfect so we went out and got her a little blue dress and barrettes to put in her hair. They were so cute."

"Riveting…" Helga replied, completely uninterested in her mother's story.

Noticing that she was losing her audience, Miriam thought back to something else that might interest the young girl. "I-interesting things happened to me too, when I was your age." She blurted out, hoping to at least get a look from her daughter.

"Oh ya?" Helga asked, still focused more on what little she could see of the T.V her father was looking at.

"Yeah!" Miriam replied, with a hint of enthusiasm. "Actually, I think I might have been 11 but I believe that was the year I blossomed into womanhood. That's pretty important, right?"

Bob had heard the last bit of the woman's sentence and gave her a side cock eye. "You better not be talking about what I think you are…" He said in a warning voice. "And if you are, you better take that sort of talk away from me."

Miriam frowned and looked up at her husband. "Oh come on, B. It's a normal thing for girls to talk about…" She pleaded, not wanting to separate their little gathering just because of his childishness.

"Key word here is girls." Bob explained in annoyance as he turned up his television, giving more of a hint that he wanted to not be a part of their talk.

Raising an eyebrow to her father's attitude, Helga was starting to become interested and Miriam had caught on. "Come on, honey. How about we go to your room, huh?" The woman asked with warmth before struggling to get up. Once she made it on her own two thin legs, she reached her hand out to her youngest daughter.

Taking it with interest, Helga rose to her feet and followed her mother into her closet of a bedroom. After Miriam had closed the door, Helga found it more comfortable to sit on her bed and waited for the older woman to join her. Once they were both seated, Miriam brought forth a delightful motherly face and continued her topic. First, she explained her first encounter with the natural occurrence in womanhood, along with all of the mishaps that joined. Next, once Helga had had a few laughs at the woman's misfortune, the continued with some of the situations that Olga had to face as well, knowing it would only bring further smiles to her young child's face.

"Wow, I can't believe that actually happened!" Helga shouted through her laughs. "And in the middle of school? The poor soul probably didn't come out of her bedroom for weeks!"

"Yes," Miriam smiled back, even though it pained her to think of the eldest daughters own sufferings, "It did devastate her quite a bit..." A thought then popped into her head, which she mulled over for a few seconds before deciding it was okay. "You… haven't gotten it yet, have you… Helga?" The woman asked meekly.

Silence filled the room and Helga raised her eyebrow. "No. Why, should I have?"

"No, no!" She spoke in a rushed tone before placing her hands gently on Helga's. "Every woman gets it at a different time… some younger than you, some older. In fact, I don't think my mother got it until she was about 15 years old." She explained, hoping to ease the girl's worries and not add to her insecurities. Seeing that Helga's expression toned itself down a little, Miriam felt successful. "You'll get it when you're ready."

"How do you know when you're ready, though? Are their signs or symptoms?" The young woman asked with a mix of genuine interest and foreboding.

Miriam frowned and hummed as she pondered the question a moment. "That's… another thing that varies from woman to woman, honey. Some show signs beforehand… and some, like your sister, it just happens suddenly when you'd least expect it."

Their talk had given Helga a lot to think about and soon it was time for her to wash up in the little utility shower that they had, and get into bed. Tomorrow was a school day and no one knew what awaited them in the morning…


	15. Chapter 15

Standing at her usual spot in front of her house, Helga impatiently tapped her foot and repeatedly looked left to right; each time extending her neck out a little in hopes of being able to see further away.

"Where is she?" The girl asked in a rushed tone as she awaited her usual companion. It was very rare for Phoebe to be late to anything, much less to school and the two had made it a habit of talking together every day since Helga's move into the old beeper store. Beginning to feel a little worried, Helga repositioned her backpack and began to walk. Although there was still plenty of time to get to school, as Phoebe always liked be early just in case something happened along the way, Helga couldn't help but think something was off.

Casually, she began to walk towards her best friend's house; noticing other kids walking passed her with backpacks in hand. What could be holding her up? The blonde girl wondered as she walked. Secretly hoping that everything was okay, her stride began to pick up into a brisk walk towards her destination. Upon arrival, everything seemed ordinary. There were no ambulances or police cars in front of the house. No gathering of spectators. Nothing different at all. Cocking her eyebrow at the dull sight, Helga walked up the stoop and rang the door bell. She crossed her arms and perked up her ears once she heard the sound of footsteps coming her way.

"Oh, Hello Helga!" Reba spoke in her usual cheery self before her face turning a little less happy. "You must be here for Phoebe…"

"Well Doi. We do have to go to school today unless today is some random holiday that no one told me about- nor any other kid I saw heading in that direction" Helga responded as she pointed in the school's direction with her thumb. "Where is she?"

Reba's face turned into something of that of a worried parent and glanced inside her house before opening the doorway fully and allowing Helga entrance. "She hasn't been feeling well this morning. A stomach bug woke her up pretty early and she's been tossing and turning since then." The adult explained as she walked Helga into the living room where she could comfortably have a seat and wait for her only child. Placing a hand on her cheek, Reba let out a tired sigh. "Apparently this has been going on for some time and the dear girl couldn't find it in her heart to tell us…"

This being the first time hearing of this, Helga's eyes went wide. "I-is she okay?"

Giving a small smile, the woman nodded. "Yes. Once she came to me this morning, I gave her something to soothe her stomach and it's been calming down. I asked her if she still wanted to go to school and of course her spirits picked up. She should be on her way downstairs any moment." The two sat in silence for a little while and listened for the girl upstairs little pitter patter on their ceiling. "I'm sure she'll be happy to see you came for her, as well."

Helga let out a snort, followed by a sly smile. "Of course I wouldn't have left without her!"

The young woman's words brought a smile to Reba's face.

Before they knew it, Phoebe was rushing downstairs with her backpack tightly in hand. Once finally stepping into the seating area, the girl noticed the little amounts of sweat she had emitted from her brow and wiped it off with her sleeve. "Sorry I'm late, Helga. I got-"

"Yeah, yeah. You're not feeling well, your mom told me" Helga interrupted; standing up and heading for the door. "Get the lead out, Pheebs. At this rate we'll be late for class."

Turning to her mother with a smile in hopes of easing the woman's rightly founded worries; Phoebe nodded her head and turned around quickly to follow her friend. "Hurrying!" She squeaked out.

Helga knew that Phoebe didn't like to bring about a lot of attention on herself, especially when it came to something like this so she had decided it would be best to act as normal as possible. Once they exited the house and got about a block in, she began to remember the day prior along with its sequence of events. After mulling it over, the girl turned to her smaller companion but before she could open her mouth to speak, she noticed the look of pain on her face. "You sure you're okay, Phoebe? You don't look too good."

"Oh no, I'm fine!" Phoebe responded with a forced out smile that followed with a wince.

This caused Helga to halt and stand her ground. "Spill it." She demanded.

"Spill what?" Phoebe asked with a clearly forced chuckle. "I said I'm fine…"

"Don't you give me that I'm fine crap!" Helga said as she looked squarely into her best friends eyes. "You almost never get sick and something's gotta be wrong if you're unable to keep a straight face like this." She watched as her best friend's expression turned into something solemn before continuing, but this time with a softer voice. "Look, you always go on and tell me that I have no reason to keep things from you, right?" Helga asked; placing her hand on the small girls shoulder in concealment, "It's time to practice what you preach. What's up?"

Phoebe could feel her muscles around her midsection begin to tense up, causing her to wince again in anticipation and found herself unable to control her emotions. In a fit of frustration, the girl stomped her feet "I don't KNOW what's wrong with me, Helga!" She yelled, causing Helga to step back in surprise. "This has been happening all weekend long! At first it was fine and it passed so I thought Hey it's just a stomach bug but then it came back but worse and now it's even further worse!" She seethed through breathes of pain. "I began to look up possible causes, thinking maybe I had become gluten sensitive or lactose intolerant but no matter what I eat, this doesn't seem to change!"

Not knowing how to respond, Helga stood there and listened patiently.

"This morning I had no choice but to tell mother about it, on account of I was in so much pain I could barely leave bed but…" Phoebe's voice began to tone itself down with less force and more sadness. "I didn't want to worry her." Looking up at Helga with anxious, pleading eyes, she could see that her best friend was not giving her pity and for this she was thankful. "What should I do?"

Thinking for a moment, Helga couldn't help continue their walking as the day wasn't stopping for them and she knew her best friend wouldn't be able to live with herself being late for school. "Well first I think we should get moving, pain or no pain, or we'll be late." She said as she walked ahead, hoping her companion would follow. "Secondly… maybe you should ask the school nurse?" She suggested thoughtfully. "I know she maybe sort of an oddball but she gives pretty good advice and won't tell you parents if you ask her not to."

Phoebe nodded and picked up her own pace, bringing herself alongside Helga for the walk. "Right…" She said so faint it might as well had been a whisper.

"Either way…" Helga continued, "You gotta figure out what it is. It's not normal for a stomach bug to go on this long and affect you the way it is."

Eventually the two girls made it to school, and although having to run into the class, they made it on time before the bell rang. The class looked at them with amusement but Mr. Simmon's allowed the girls to take their seats before beginning a head count and starting his class.

"Good morning class!" The older gentleman greeted them, full of esteem and probably a large cup of coffee. He waited for the class's response back before continuing. "I have something very special to announce!" He said before turning around and grabbing a piece of chalk and writing something on the board in front of him. "It has come to the schools attention that, although we're doing our best at teaching you young minds, that there is something we've been lacking as a whole. After a long conference between us teachers and our fellow staff members, we think we've come up with a new added curriculum that will further each and every one of you." He waited for the expected groan behind him, but smiled nonetheless. After he had written the curriculums' name, he finished it off with added design to make the subject look exciting, even though he- himself wasn't too fond of the subject. Turning around to face his audience, Mr. Simmons opened his arms wide to dramatize the unveiling of his art. "We've called it Health Class!"

"What? Is it supposed to be a class that helps us get healthy?" asked Stinky from across the room as he scratched his head in confusion.

"Sort of," The teacher corrected with a grim smile. "It's a class that teaches a few things that students your age should be aware of, such as environmental factors that might influence you to do things that will undoubtedly harm your body as well as other… unfamiliar things that might be going on and changing in your body."

"Like how when I eat turkey I get bad gas?" Harold asked out in his boisterous voice.

"That was WAY too much information." Rhonda responded with a shake of her head in disgust.

"Hey! My mom says that gas is perfectly normal and it's better that it goes out instead of in!" He responded back with a scowl as to justify his outburst.

As Helga listened to the two argue over the topic, she couldn't help but notice that the bruise on the older boy's face had begun to fade, as well as his antic's remaining the same as usual. She sighed in relief and looked over her shoulder at Arnold who seemed to be paying an abnormally close attention to the teacher's topic.

Not sure how to feel, Arnold gulped at the thought of having to go through yet another talk like the one he had had with his father. He knew in school it would be put more eloquently and clearly, rather than awkward and full of embarrassment but even still… he couldn't help but feel a little nervous. Suddenly he felt a pair of eyes on him and he slowly broke his contact away from the board and brought it to those eyes. Helga gave him a questioning look but he shook his head and smiled at the girl. She had no idea how he was feeling and honestly didn't need to. There was already enough going on in his mind…

"Are you going to be teaching the class?" Eugene spoke up, a little nervous himself at the topic.

Mr. Simmons smiled at the question and took in a breath of fresh air. "Wonderful question, Eugene!" He replied with a clap. "Unfortunately I will not be the maestro to this ensemble. Our own Nurse Shelley will be conducting this class."

"Oh that's wonderful!" Sheena exclaimed with joy in her heart.

"Furthermore, I have even more exciting news to share with you all!" The balding man shouted over the crowd of murmuring students before him, glad to change the topic. "I received an unexpected letter this morning from a very special friend of ours!"

"Who is it?" Sid asked.

Reaching into his back pocket, Mr. Simmons pulled out a folded letter and began to open it up and pull out the worn sheet of paper inside. "It's from Lila! And she explains that her trip to South Carolina to see her Aunt will be ending soon and she'll be joining us back in the classroom. Isn't that fantastic?! I'm sure you all miss her greatly."

Helga snorted and crossed her legs. "Hardly."

"Would you read the letter out loud, Mr. Simmons?" Arnold asked, rather interested in its contents.

Nodding, the man cleared his throat and began to read the letter to the class.

"Dear Friends,  
I am writing to you in great spirits as to let you know that I will be arriving back in Hillwood ever so shortly. I cannot wait to come back and hear of your ever so exciting trip to San Lorenzo and am terribly sorry that I was not able to attend as I had to make this equality exciting trip to South Carolina to visit my sick Aunt May. My stay here has been oh so enjoyable, however as she is getting ready to leave the hospital from her illness, as are my father and I. Seeing my family has been the most joyous experience in quite a while and I'm fully prepared to share my own stories with you all.

Sincerely, Lila Sawyer"

The class clapped and Mr. Simmons gently placed the letter over on his desk. "We are expecting her arrival sometime this week!"

"Not to disrupt our cheering of little miss perfect, but when will that new class of our's start?" Helga asked, placing the actual topic front and forward once more.

"Oh… right." Mr. Simmons sighed. "It is actually going to be rotating with your P.E class every week as both focus on the body and are equally important. Every Monday and Wednesday you'll have Health class and every Tuesday and Friday will be P.E, with Thursday ending in study hall to prepare you for our weekly tests on Friday morning." The thought of the school's board of education meeting on the matter was still fresh in his mind as their original plan for the class was to be squeezed into their regular class time, thus cutting two of the classes down by 30 minutes. Mr. Simmons, along with a few other teachers, fought valiantly to change their minds and thus came up with his new idea he felt would work better.

"Are you kidding me? They're only making gym two days a week?!" Gerald stood up and placed his hands on his desk loudly. The others looked over at him with surprise but no one questioned him.

Mr. Simmons scratched his scalp and looked apologetically at the young man. "I'm afraid I'm telling the truth, Gerald."

"Man! This blows!" He said with a loud groan and plopped hit butt back in his seat. "The coach is really gonna ride us now…"

"As if he didn't already do that…" Harold mumbled under his breath as he thought of all those push up's Coach Wittenberg made them do as often as he could.

"Well I for one think this is a splendid idea." Rhonda commented as she brushed back her hair in a dramatic type pose. "P.E has never really been my thing and I absolutely HATE getting all sweaty and gross. I think they should get rid of it all together!"

Nadine looked over at her best friend with skepticism all over her face. "Really? Because you seem to enjoy sports to me. In fact, you've joined us quite a few times and clearly had fun."

Shocked at her friend's obvious attempt to end her charade, Rhonda gasped and snubbed her nose at the honest girl. "That was before I knew any better! I'm a totally changed woman now!"

"Uh huh…" Nadine responded with a shake of her head.

Before the class could continue their side conversations, Mr. Simmons quickly took the reins and began to focus them more on the actual topic of the hour: Math.

A few hours had passed and much to Phoebe's dismay, her pain continued to come and go; sometimes more severe than others but nonetheless she held her tongue and bore it all quietly as to not disturb the class. As time when on, Helga's suggestion of going to the nurse seemed more and more enjoyable.

Looking over at the clock, she could see that there was only a few more minutes left of their teachers History lesson and, at this point, couldn't honestly careless about his lecture. Quietly, she waited for him to pause, before standing up and asking him if she could be excused. At first he seemed a bit concerned as it was out of the ordinary for Phoebe to leave class early, however with her calm demeanor she was able to make light of the situation and leave without too many questions asked.

After arriving at the nurse's office, Phoebe politely let herself in and looked around for Nurse Shelley.

"Um… excuse me?" She asked out quietly, looking from side to side.

She could hear some rustling from behind an open closet door and then a few things falling. "Just one moment!" a voice responded with a little agitation. With a few more rustles and a loud pop, a bunch of supplies spilled out of the closet- as well as the nurse.

"Oh my!" Phoebe gasped before running over to the nurse who had fallen on the floor; some large white poster paper draped around the poor woman. "Are you okay?"

With a frail smile, Nurse Shelley let out a small giggle before struggling to get back on her feet. "I'm fine dear, but thank you for asking." She picked up the few medical supplies that had scattered on the floor, as well as rolling the poster paper back up and deciding that maybe it would go next to the closet instead of inside. "You see, I have picked up a few things for our new class and… have nowhere to really put them…" She started to explain to the small girl after tidying up. "My medical closet is much too full with all the supplies I need here that my teaching supplies simply fall out whenever I open the door…"

Phoebe couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the woman and began to think of a way to help her. "Maybe the janitor has some space in his closet?" She suggested but Shelley just shook her head.

"Indeed he does, however I'm afraid that if I store them in there they might go missing." Shelley admitted with a frown. "The budget in this school just gets smaller and smaller and it's a shame to admit but some people have resulted in being… a little less honest around here with things."

"I see…" Phoebe responded, now unsure of what else to suggest. There was no way the school would pay for another cabinet to be installed inside the office, and it would be absolutely unfair to ask Shelley to pay for it after she probably already paid for these supplies out of pocket. "I'm sorry to hear that."

Smiling and brushing her lab coat off, Nurse Shelley turned the attention back to Phoebe. "So what brings you here, Ms. Heyerdahl?" She asked as she motioned for Phoebe to sit up on the examining table.

After doing as she was told, Phoebe looked down at the off-white tile floor. "You see, I've been having a lot of stomach pain recently and I was hoping that maybe you know why?"

Shelley nodded and began to do a standard examination of Phoebe: checking her heart and lungs, as well as her temperature. "Everything seems normal here…" She explained before putting away her thermometer and crossing her arms in thought. "Could you possibly explain the pain you're experiencing?" She asked, "As in, is the pain dull or sharp? Aching or stabbing?"

"I suppose it's more of a dull ache… most of the time, then sporadically can become sharp and stabbing." Phoebe frowned as her response didn't seem very helpful.

"I see." Shelley said, tapping her foot still in thought. "And when do you experience your pain most often? During the morning or night? Or maybe even all day long?"

Thinking back on it, Phoebe did notice that the pain seemed to come more often than not in the middle of the night, however today it seemed to last all day. "Today it has been all day long, ma'am."

"That's quite unfortunate. I'm sorry to hear that." Shelley frowned. "And could you show me exactly where the pain is?"

Phoebe stood up and motioned to her lower abdominal area. "Mostly here below my belly button. The pain is similar to that of when I eat way too much spicy food and need to use the restroom right away… however no such urgency has happened, as well as I've not eaten anything as of recent that should cause such urgency."

"My, my…" Shelley commented as she listened to Phoebe's explanation.

The lack of information being given to her by the professional made Phoebe feel a little discouraged. "So what do you think it could be?" she asked, hoping to get something more enlightening from the woman.

Pushing up her glasses and straightening her pose, Nurse Shelley gave the girl a small smile. "I have some suspicions however, none of them are really cause for much concern. You're in the sixth grade, correct?"

The question seemed a little out of left field, however Phoebe nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"Oh good!" Shelley's smile grew wider. "Then that means you'll be in our new class that I'm teaching!"

With her frustration growing, Phoebe wrinkled her forehead and failed to hold back a sigh. "Yes, it does seem that way."

Noticing the girl becoming short, Shelley cleared her throat and decided and explanation was in order. "You see Phoebe, what seems to be happening to you right now could either be one of a few things, however since you're not experiencing any inconsistencies in the bathroom… then the only other plausible option would be that you're finally reaching the start of puberty."

With shock in her eyes, Phoebe had no words. She knew well what that meant for her, but despite all that, the idea had never once popped in her head.

The older woman placed her hand on Phoebe's left leg and did her best to console the girl's troubles. "Has your parents talked to you about this yet?"

Her parents, much like herself, were very knowledgeable people and would no doubt know all about the subject as they had to have gone through that change themselves, but never once had the subject actually been brought up to her. "No, not yet…" Phoebe replied quietly, still a little in shock at this revelation.

"This is exactly the reason why the school decided to create this Health Class…" Shelley calmly explained. "There are many girls who find themselves coming to me with similar issues as your own and have absolutely no knowledge about their own bodies! It is the school's job to educate and, with more and more of you coming to me each day, boys and girls alike, it seems that fewer and fewer parents are taking on that subject in a more… private setting. We felt compelled to step up and take on this role for the sake of you children!"

The woman's voice turned from sounding sympathetic to a righteous leader as she spoke. Phoebe could feel the passion emitting from her words and strangely began to feel calm about her situation. It was a just cause, to say the least and Phoebe felt safe in her hands. "So is there anything I can do to help this pain?"

"Some girls find relief in a heating pad; some with an ice pack to the belly… but mostly only pain killers will help you, dear." Shelley replied, coming down from the high of her speech.

Knowing that pain killers at least dulled her pain, Phoebe went ahead and accepted those before thanking the older woman and heading back towards her class. While walking in the hallway, the lunch bell rang and many kids rushed out of their rooms and began knocking her around. With small whines and cries, Phoebe found herself pushed up against a wall and waited for the stampede to pass by.

"You were gone long." A familiar stern voice emerged from the loud yells of students. Phoebe looked up to see that Helga had thankfully found her. Without warning, she reached out and hugged the girl tightly. "Hey, hey! Not too tight!" Helga whined before gently pushing off of her.

"Sorry. I'm just really glad I found you!" She replied happily chuckled, "Or rather, you found me."

Helga raised her eyebrow. "So what's age old disease is killing you?" She asked sarcastically before leading Phoebe down the hallway with the other rushing students.

Turning into herself, Phoebe quietly lamented her luck but was also thankful that it wasn't something actually horrible. "It seems that womanhood is finally gracing me with its presence…"

Now even further surprised at hearing those words, Helga looked ahead. "Yeah, Miriam was telling me just last night how nasty some girls can have it…"

"Your mother?" Phoebe asked; astounded.

Helga put on an irritated face and continued her powerful stride. "Yeah, she randomly wanted some female bonding last night after I called her out on wasting our food money on booze. At first I was skeptical of her motives but in the end…" Her voice trailed off and turned a little nostalgic, "it was actually kind of nice."

A giant smile adorning the small Asian girls face, she turned to her friend in delight. "That's wonderful news, Helga!" but suddenly her muscles began to tense up again and she was unable to delight in her friends continued story. Helga's words became more of a mumble rather than audible sentences'. Feeling the absolute urgency to use the bathroom, Phoebe halted her steps and clutched her stomach despite not wanting others to see her in pain.

"Phoebe?" Helga called out to her, now fully worried. "You gonna be okay?!"

"Y-yes!" Phoebe forced out, "But finding a bathroom would be optimal right now…"

Grabbing the pained girl's hand, Helga rushed them to the nearest girl's room. Wanting to give Phoebe her privacy, she waited outside to let her do whatever business it was that needed to be done.

Man… this is getting rough on poor Pheebs… Helga thought to herself as rested her back up against the wall and crossed her legs for added comfort. I've never seen her like this…

Helga closed her eyes and waited patiently for her friend. Minutes flew by and began to feel like hours and soon, the blonde girl could feel her hungry stomach begin to whine. "Alright! Enough's enough! I'm going in there!" She shouted to herself before moving from her post and pushing the bathroom door open. "Did you fall in, or what?" She asked her friend loudly, ignoring all considerations.

After letting out a heavy sigh and getting no response, her frustration turned into genuine concern. "Phoebe?" A small whine was perceived from one of the bathroom stalls and Helga made her way towards it. She waited a moment for a possible utterance from the girl but when she found that she wasn't going to get one, she continued. "Look, I'm sorry for getting impatient… I'm just really hungry." Again she waited but got no response. "Crimity, Pheebs! Just say something!"

"It's everywhere." The meek girl replied from behind the old and rusted bathroom stall door.

"Huh? What's everywhere? What do you mean?" Helga asked confused.

"It's everywhere and I don't know what to do." Phoebe responded again, although still being cryptic.

"You gotta be more clear than that!" Helga demanded to the person behind the stall door.

"It finally happened, Helga!" Phoebe yelled back in a voice that rivaled that of her best friends. "Can you please just get what I'm saying without me having to spell it out for you!"

Letting the girls words set in, the wheels in Helga's brain began to turn and eventually the hint was finally picked up. "Ohhhhhh…."

"Yeahhhhhh…" Phoebe replied, still as agitated as before.

"Crap… Hold on Pheebs, I'll think of something." Helga said as she paced around the bathroom in thought. "I'll go to the nurse's office and get you something and then…." She stopped and continued he thought, "give me your locker combo and I'll go get you your gym clothes!"

"21, 3, 32." Phoebe clearly spoke and before she knew it, the bathroom door was flung open again and Helga was gone.

Heading to the gym first, Helga rushed to open her friend's locker. After fighting with it a few times due to human error from haste, she eventually yanked it open and retrieved the clothes. "Got em!" She happily stated before rushing out of the locker room. Thankfully no one was around to question her and she was able to escape quickly and made it around a few corners til she got to the nurses office.

Bursting through the door, Helga had startled Shelley and her small 3rd grade patient. "Sorry to bother you but could you throw me something to stop the blood or something? My friend is sorta stuck and needs help."

"Oh my!" Shelley gasped as she put down her stethoscope. "Is she okay? Do I need to bring a first aid kit?!"

"No no no! I got it!" Helga angrily replied, "Just hand me some feminine products and I'll be on my merry way!"

"Oh…" Nodding, Shelley went into a small drawer and pulled out a few feminine products as she was unsure which the girl in question preferred. "Here. I hope these help!"

Snatching them from the woman's hands, Helga dashed back out of the room and ran straight towards the bathroom. After turning a sharp corner, she suddenly collided into a solid force and fell on her behind. "Ugh!"

"I'm so sorry!" A familiar male voice responded.

Helga opened her eyes to see none other than Arnold standing in front of her with his hand out to help her up. "Of course it's you." She replied snidely.

Arnold frowned at her not so welcoming hello. "Everything okay? You seem to be in a rush and…" He looked around curiously, "I haven't seen you or Phoebe at lunch yet."

Helga collected her quest items from off the floor and stood up by herself. "Yeah well me and Phoebe are a little preoccupied at the moment. We're gonna be late. What are you even doing here?"

"I was on my way to the bathroom." Noticing the familiar clothes now draped in her hands, Arnold felt even more confused. "Are those Phoebe's gym clothes?"

"I don't have time for your 20 questions, Football head!" Helga yelled at him with a followed up groan. "I got to go!"

Stepping aside to let the rushed girl past, the boy scowled at her attitude. "Okay then."

She could see his frustration and it pained her, however instead of addressing it and explaining the situation, Helga knew what was most important right now and that was getting to her best friend in need. She rushed passed him without so much as a second glace and quickly made it to the bathroom.

"Phoebe! I got the goods!" Helga proudly presented while panting.

"Thanks, Helga." Phoebe replied with what sounded like a small sniffle. Her voice was small and quiet and full of sorrow.

Pushing the clothes and choice items underneath the door, Helga backed up and frowned. "Sorry it took me so long. Some people found it necessary to try and have idle conversation while seeing I was obviously in a rush." Helga explained as she made her way away from the stall and to the row of sinks.

"That's okay…" Phoebe replied.

"Are you feeling any better?" The concerned girl asked her best friend as she rested her hands on the sinks and stared at her own reflection.

A few awkward seconds passed by before Phoebe finally spoke up. "A little… but Helga…"

"Yeah? What is it?"

"…I don't know what to do with these things you've brought me." Phoebe replied after a few more awkward seconds.

Blinking, Helga turned to the stalls. "Oh. Right." She said, realizing that they didn't exactly come with instructions. "Well I wasn't sure which one you wanted so I just got those…" Although she had a mother and an older sister, Helga herself had never used either of those items but had vague understand of how they were used. "One is basically like a giant Band-Aid that you put on your underwear where uh… the bleeding happens and the other I think you shove up there to stop the bleeding."

"SHOVE?!" Phoebe shrieked; echoing throughout the room.

Shuttering at both her voice and the thought, Helga took in a sharp breath, "Yeah… doesn't sound too pleasant. I'd go with the first one."

Phoebe looked over the two products and hung her head. All the smarts she had wouldn't prepare her for this moment. Agreeing with Helga's choice, she undid the packing of the maxi pad and successfully applied it to her soiled undergarments. "…This is awful."

"Well no one ever said being a woman was pleasant." Helga shrugged but sympathized as much as she could.

Kicking her soiled skirt out of the way, she cleaned herself up to the best of her abilities and dressed herself in her clean gym shorts. With a heavy heart, the girl exited the stall and looked at her best friend with gratitude in her eyes. "Thanks again, Helga."

Seeing someone she loved so defeated left a dull ache in Helga's heart. "No problem, Pheebs." She said with a sympathetic smile. "Do you want to go to the nurse's office again? I can't imagine you'd actually want to continue school like this."

As much as she hated to admit it, she knew Helga was right. Phoebe slowly nodded. "I'd have to agree..."

Helga could see the inner torment that her best friend was facing and lovingly placed her arm around her friends shoulder, pulling her in. "It'll be okay. I'll go with you since I'm probably not making it to lunch at this rate anyway."

Knowing that Helga's comment wasn't meant to be as bad as it sounded, Phoebe nodded and they both exited the bathroom in route to the nurse's office once again.

The cafeteria was loud and busy, and Gerald occupied his time listening to Sid over explain a movie he had just seen on TV last night. Rolling his eyes, he turned to look at the cafeteria entrance in expectancy of his best friend. Once Arnold finally emerged, he waved to him in order to get his attention.

"What took you so long, man? I was starting to get worried." Gerald asked before sliding Arnold's chair out with his foot as a kind gesture. "The food get to you or something?"

"No… not the food." Arnold said, still unhappy about his run in with his girlfriend.

"Boy howdy, Arnold! You look like someone just kicked your pig!" Sid commented once he had finished his story and focused on the companion that had rejoined their table.

"You look mighty downtrodden, Arnold." Stinky chimed in with a friendly but concerned tone.

Arnold crossed his arms on the table and softly placed his head on top of them; smothering his face from the rest of the table. "It's nothing."

"That… certainly doesn't look like nothing." Gerald replied back, now genuinely alarmed at his friends change in attitude. "You were fine before you left. What happened?"

Harold took a large bite of his sandwich; spilling a few of its contents, and chuckled. "Awww, maybe Awnold misses his girwlfrwend!" Arnold's head shot straight up and immediately made direct eye contact with his large friend, causing him to almost choke on his food. "I- I mean, uhh… uhh"

With a heavy sigh, Arnold forgave the boy internally, knowing full well that he never seemed to think before talking and that the company within the table were already aware of his engagements. "Just… try to think about what you say before you say it, okay Harold?" He softly gave advice, "Especially in open public…"

Harold cleared his throat. "Sorry."

"Now that you mention it…" Looking around, Gerald noticed that neither of their female companions had actually made it to the lunch room. "The girls don't seem to be sitting at any of the tables. Did you run into them?"

"I did run into Helga, but not Phoebe." Arnold said as he re-accounted his run in with the hostile girl. "Oddly enough, Helga was carrying her clothes so I hope nothing bad happened."

"Maybe some kid got into a really big fight and was bleeding all over the nurse's office when she got there!" Harold suggested with excitement, "And she got covered in it!"

Stinky shook his head. "Naw, I think we'd have heard about something like that by now."

"Or maybe she tripped into another student carrying paint?" Sid added before munching on a bag of potato chips.

Now anxious to find out what really happened, Gerald could feel his insides churn at the thought of the girl he held affections for becoming injured in anyway. "Well whatever happened, we gotta find out as soon as possible."

Soon the end of lunch was signaled and all the students left and hurried on to their designated classrooms. Much to Gerald's disappointment, Phoebe remained absent. Mr. Simmons soon followed behind the student and stood in front of the class, about to begin.

Feeling his heart rise into his throat, Gerald turned to look at Arnold, who simply shook his head in response. Knowing that only one person would actually know the answer, he began writing a note on a piece of paper: "What happened to Phoebe?" and tossed it to his neighbor to hand over to Helga.

Having the folded piece of paper thrown on her desk, Helga scowled at its deliverer and opened it up. Only second later, she scribbled her response and handed it back.

Gerald awaited his response eagerly and rushed to open it up. "None of your business, Geraldo. Now stop bothering me at pay attention to the sad little man trying to teach us or we'll both get detention." His excitement upon getting a response then turned into an aggravated frown. Why did she always have to be like that? The few moments in Gerald's life where he actually wanted Helga's help, always seemed to end the same for him: further irritation. Crumpling up the paper, the boy made a successful free-throw at the trash can that was conveniently next to the door which he sat next to.

School continued on as scheduled with their regular classes until it was finally the moment the children had all been waiting for: Health Class. Mr. Simmons began to put away all of his notes and began to clean up the front of the classroom in anticipation for the awaited teacher. Placing all of his awkwardness aside, he turned and addressed the class.

"Now everyone, please be on your best behavior for our next class." He started with a somber look on his face, "Some of the topics that will come up might make you feel a little silly, maybe even uncomfortable but just know that if you have ANY questions… do not hesitate to ask!"

All the students began to murmur amongst themselves in apprehension for this new lesson; some worried and some excited. Only a handful actually had a good idea on what the choice class would be about.

Shortly after the introduction, the homely nurse knocked on the classroom door and let herself in.

"Good afternoon, students!" She sang as she walked through the door.

"Good afternoon, Aunt Shelley!" Sheena replied, standing up and waving to her family member whom she was always filled with joy upon seeing. The other students answered accordingly in a dull tone.

She turned to their normal teacher and held out a few overflowing supplies from her hands, which he happily took from her and placed on his desk. "Are we all excited about our new class?" She asked everyone including the man in front of her.

Gulping in response, Mr. Simmons felt his awkwardness begin to creep back into his being and caused him to turn away from the woman's gaze. "I'm sure everyone here is very excited, aren't we class?"

Without hesitation, Shelley took a piece of chalk and started to write on the board.

"There will be a few things covered in our class." She explained, "But all will have similarities to one subject, which is your general health!" She then turned to the class and pointed out each of the summed up topics she had written down. "Our main topics will include general hygiene, the dangers of drugs and finally sexual education."

Harold let out a large gasp and turned to everyone then back at the woman. "Are we allowed to talk about that kind of stuff here?!"

Shelley replied with a small smile and a nod. "Of course, Harold! That's what I'm here to do!" She looked over at all of the students faces with a calm state of mind to gather all of their external responses. "Each and every one of you are growing up and will be facing many challenges along the way. Some of you might know of these challenges already, as you have older siblings but some of you don't and that's perfectly okay too. I am here to help you learn how to go about these safely and make you comfortable about yourselves. Does anyone have any questions?" The crowd went silent and Shelley continued with her lesson explanation. "Because of how important these topics are to growing young people like yourselves, we will be covering as much as we can over the rest of this year; each day learning a little about each of these topics."

"Will we have tests?" Curly asked with his hand firmly raised.

"Of course, dear!" Shelley answered, promptly placing her gaze on the odd boy. "All classes must have tests in order to see how much each individual learns."

Another hand got raised, and this time it was Rhonda's. "Do our parents know about this? I mean, it's kind of odd that the school just randomly decided to add another class."

Shelley nodded and focused her attention to the posh girl. "Yes. Once the school had decided on supporting the class, a letter went out to each of your families in regards to the lessons and gave the parents options whether to enroll you or not."

"What happens if one of isn't here…? Like, if we had to go home early before the class started? Will that count against us?" Gerald spoke up quietly, feeling a little nervous about his question.

The woman's gaze softened as she heard the young boys question and she let out a small giggle. "No, just like in any normal class it won't count against you, however its encouraged to get as caught up as soon as possible so you don't fall behind. This may be counted as an electoral class, however passing it will still be required in order to graduate."

Waiting a few more moments to see if the students had any more questions, the woman turned around and began to write on the black board once more. With encouragement in her heart, she knew that what she was doing was for the best of the students and would absolutely not let any of them fail if she could help it.


	16. Chapter 16

Class ended and with their minds buzzed with new information, the students exited the premises of P.S.118 in route of their own choosing. Gerald said his brief goodbye to his best friend before shoving his hands in his pockets and walking in a very specific direction. Worry about Phoebe’s absence weighed heavy on the boy’s mind and he couldn’t help but shake the weird feeling that something was wrong.

As he got to her house, he straightened his back and made sure his hair was just perfect before knocking on the door. It only took moments for Mrs. Heyerdahl to answer.

“Oh Gerald, how nice of you to come by.” The woman greeted him warmly with a smile.

His once impenetrable wall of cool suddenly got knocked down and the boy could only feel a sense of uneasiness. “I-is Phoebe around?” He asked meekly as he rubbed the side of his arm.

Reba let out a small sigh. “She is… but I don’t know if she’s up for visitors.” She answered truthfully.

Gerald’s face unconsciously turned into a frown upon hearing her words. “Oh…”

“But I suppose seeing you might make her feel a little better.” Reba finished before opening the door for him to enter past her. “Phoebe! You have a guest!” She called out behind her.

The boys face lit up with delight and he nodded to the woman with appreciation. “Thanks.”

The woman pointed in up the stairs. “You’ll find her in her bed room lying down.” She explained; her face becoming a little grim. “Prepare yourself though; she can get a little snippy when she’s not feeling well.”

Acknowledging the information, Gerald gulped but was no less up for his task. “Got it.” He replied before turning towards the stairs. “Anymore advice before I go up?”

Reba smiled and crossed her arms. Such a little man… she thought to herself. “You should be fine, dear. I’ll bring up some refreshments for you both shortly, that outta help a little.”

Gerald ventured up the stairs and took a sharp left into a long hallway. He only ever been in Phoebe’s room once before and that was to console her into returning back to school after an embarrassing incident. I hope something like that didn’t happen again… He couldn’t help but think back to how much she suffered through all the ridicule. He stood in front of her bedroom door and took in a large breath. Why was he so nervous? It was just Phoebe, after all. He could feel little beads of sweat begin to form upon his brow as well as his palms becoming damp. His heart began to quicken at the thought of her being alone in her room and in some unknown state. “Phoebe?” He called out to beyond the door, “It’s… me. Can I come in?” He hesitated.

“You may enter.” Phoebe called back in her usual voice.

After taking a few more large breaths to prepare himself for what lie beyond that door, Gerald grasped her door knob and opened it slowly. He peeked around it and saw his girlfriend lying in her bed with a book in her hand. Everything seemed pretty normal.

“Hey.” He called out with a smile, “What’s up?”

Phoebe turned to look up at him and forced out a smile back. “Reading.” She replied quietly.

Taking a few more steps into her room, Gerald could see that there was a large red hot water bottle lying on top of her lower half. “You left school early, that’s unlike you. Are you okay?” He asked with concern.

With a few grunts, Phoebe managed to push herself into a sitting position and scooted over so that way her guest could sit next to her. “I’m fine Gerald, thank you for asking.”

Her voice sounded normal enough, however Gerald knew there had to be more to it than that. Motioning to the large rubber floppy container draped over her small frame, he let out a small chuckle to lighten up the mood. “What’s with that thing?”

Phoebe looked down at the only thing really supporting her in her time of need. “Oh this?” She asked as she patted it and watched the water ripples cascade on top of its smooth exterior. “It helps the pain quite a bit. Mother suggested it after I got home.”

“Oh, the pain is back again?”Gerald asked, remembering the stomach issues she had a few days ago. “Did you see a doctor yet?” He gazed down at her hands. They were rested so nicely on top of her lap. He wanted to hold them; caress them and comfort her. Was she in pain now?

Phoebe breathed a calm breath before turning to him with a little awkwardness. “I guess you could say that…” She started as she shuffled a bit in place, and then adjusted her warm bottle. “I saw the school nurse and… although she was a little cryptic and unclear in the beginning, everything became clear later on without her help.”

Tilting his head to the side, Gerald attempted to grasp what she had said. “So… that means you’re okay, right? Nothing serious?” He asked, trying to get a clearer response.

“Yes, I’m fine. Nothing serious.” Phoebe reassured with a nod. “Turns out what’s going on with me is very normal and very unavoidable and I suspect we’ll be learning more about it soon enough.”

The awkwardness in the room lightened up a little as both of the adolescents relaxed into the atmosphere they had created. There was no doubt in her mind that Gerald cared for her, and for that she was glad. She hadn’t expected anyone to visit her really, so the sentiment was nice.

“How was the new class?” She asked, breaking the silence.

Gerald snapped back into attention and shook his head. “Weird.” He replied, cringing a little. “I guess we’re going to be learning more about each other bodies and drugs n stuff… nothing cool. I’d much rather have gym.”

Phoebe frowned at his displeasure but placed her hand on top of his, causing him to look up at her in surprise. “Physical education is indeed important, however so is learning about the body and how it works. Think of it as the educational side of gym.” She reassured.

“Yeah yeah, I know. The nurse explained its importance pretty much all of class.” He explained as he rolled his eyes. “I never knew one person could be so hyped about talking about uncomfortable and gross things.”

The term he had used wasn’t very comforting and Phoebe withdrew her hand from his. “Gross…. Huh.” She whispered, more to herself than him. Despite her changes being normal, she couldn’t exactly disagree with the term. There was nothing pleasant about what her body was doing, regardless of its beneficial properties for the future, but did that mean he thought she was gross to him now? Worries began to flood the girls mind and she let out a small groan.

“You okay?” Gerald noticed a change in her demeanor. “The pain coming back or something?”

“Nothing is wrong, I’m completely fine.” Phoebe replied, unable to hide the whine in her voice as she tried to hide her feelings.

Gerald placed his hand on the girls shoulder and got a little closer, “Come on, you don’t have to hide it… beautiful.”

Phoebe wiggled her shoulder out from under his grasp, causing him to withdraw a little; feeling rejected. “Beautiful, huh?” She responded callously. He basically just said I was gross…

Frowning, Gerald took back his hands and rested them on his lap. “Yeah… You know how I think about you, why you acting this way all of a sudden?” He asked; his tone turning from sadness into a little annoyance. Her mother did warn him she could get snippy but he saw nothing he did could possibly warrant it.

“Acting?” Questioned Phoebe as she turned to him with a scowl. She knew her stubbornness was getting the better, however none of that mattered in that moment. “I feel I am acting perfectly normal.”

Geez, now she’s just getting ridiculous! Gerald thought as he stood up to give her some space. “If you say so.” He could see her expression turned a little softer as he backed away and hoped she would get the hint. “I only came over to make sure you were alright. Maybe I should go if you don’t want my company.”

Just then, Phoebe’s bedroom door opened up and Reba came walking in with some chocolate chip cookies and milk. “I brought you guys some snacks!” She said cheerfully until analyzing the mood in the room. “Ya’ll alright in here?”

“Yes Mother.” Phoebe answered; changing her tone to a happier one. “Gerald was just giving me some space, that’s all.”

Reba looked between the two preteens with a worried look, before setting down the plate of cookies at the end of Phoebe’s bed. “Well alright. If you need anything, just holler.”

Phoebe and Gerald nodded and agreed before watching Reba slowly walk out of the room and close the door softly behind her.

With a sad sigh, Phoebe lay back down and gazed up at the ceiling. “I’m sorry, Gerald. I don’t mean to be hostile with you…” She explained, “I understand if you want to leave me alone. Heck, Mother doesn’t even want to say with me very long with how my emotions have been getting the better of me.”

Hearing her remorse, Gerald crossed his arms and sat back down next to her. “It might help if you actually told me what’s wrong, though.”

Nodding, she turned her head to him. A relationship was two people working together no matter what. What was the use hiding her situation from him? He would learn all about it in a few days anyway; the whole class would! Who better to have understanding her pain than the person whose affection she longed for? In reality, she knew he was actually the only person she wanted there with her right then.

Phoebe let out a small sigh. “You’re right. I apologize…” She said slowly before going over what she was about to explain in her head. “Just… don’t think I’m gross, okay?” Her voice sounded vulnerable and weak.

With a proud smile, Gerald placed his hand on top of hers once more and winked. “Wouldn’t dream of it, babe.”

 

The beeper emporium was once again, swamped with young adults hovering over the old dusty models that were on display. Helga dropped her backpack in front of the door carelessly and snickered at the sight. Sure, this was great for their business but really? What use were those things now except a fashion commodity to them? And to make it worse, those poor saps would spend all that money on those plastic pieces of crap and they would just break soon after anyway. Helga watched as a couple of girl friends giggled as they “tried on” the models with glee. Pathetic morons… she thought as she crossed her arms. But might as well help out seeing as Bob will see me any moment now and demand it anyway… she sighed as she brought her body over to the customers.

“Anything I can help you with, miss?” Helga asked with a sickly sweet voice as she forced out a cringe worthy forced smile.

One of the girls turned to Helga and scowled at her attempt. “Uhhh as if. What could you help me with anyway?” she responded with a click in her voice as she looked over Helga’s attire. “You clearly don’t know the first thing about fashion.”

Her companion giggled besides her. “Shana… be nice to the little girl!”

Gritting her teeth and holding her tongue, Helga concentrated on keeping her cool and her anger at bay. “I can show you the latest models of the brand you’re looking at, plus some high end models from the back.” She lied, knowing full well the ones stored in the back were even older and more out dated… however they didn’t need to know that.

“Oh really?” The kinder girl smiled in bliss. “Can we?”

The girl Shana scoffed and flipped her perfectly primed hair to the side. “Sure, if you insist…”

With a low growl, Helga stomped out of the show room and into the hallway. Opening a small storage closet adjacent to her own room, Helga rummaged through the box of miscellaneous beepers that she knew full well were probably duds. “This outta teach those prissy preppy no good fashionista!” She said as she pulled out a few. Just as she was about to close the door, however, she noticed a full box of what looked to be a brand new shipping label. “What’s this?” She asked out loud before placing the two set of beepers in her pocket and pulling the box out. She grabbed the package and ripped off the tape holding the two flaps together. Inside where perfectly pristine beepers of what were actually good quality. “Since when did we have these? I thought these sold out months ago!” With a scratch of her head, Helga shrugged and shoved the box back inside the closet. “Oh well!” She smiled before pulling out the two set of beepers she had specifically chosen for her customers.

Helga gracefully waltzed into the show room and presented her find. “These beauty’s are high vintage and in pristine condition! Top of the line and most valued model available.” She explained as she showed them off. “We… were keeping them in the back for some very special people; however they never showed up so we got stuck with them.” She lied. The girls ooh’d and ahh’d at the models before reaching their hands out to touch them, but before they could, Helga snatched them away. “Ah ah ah…” She said before taking them behind her back. “Are you sure you can even buy these? I mean… they’re pretty expensive since they’re so exclusive…” Helga smiled. She knew using buzz words would help push her sale and could see that her influence was working on the two girls. “These aren’t meant for just anyone…”

The mean girl scoffed and looked desperate. “We absolutely must have them!” She demanded before turning to her friend with her mouth open wide. “Right Bridget?!”

The nicer girl nodded with enthusiasm. “I saved up a whole bunch of money from my summer job so I know I totally have enough!”

Helga looked at both the girls square in the face as she sized them up. “I don’t know…” She spoke under her breath, although on the inside she was cackling like an old hag.

“Just name your price!” Shana boasted, loud enough for the rest of the store to hear; catching Bob’s attention.

Letting out a long and drawn out sigh, Helga nodded to the foolish girl. “Alright, alright… I can see that you really want these. Let’s just walk on over to the register and I’ll call my father over to you to talk details…”

The two girls eagerly followed as Helga singled Bob over. He looked a little skeptical at her before politely excusing himself from his own customers to join them.

“These two lovely young ladies would like to buy these beepers.” Helga stated as she placed the models on the register. “And absolutely nothing will talk them out of it. What says you, Dad?”

Bob raised an eyebrow at the girl before looking over the beepers. “Uh huh…” He murmured. Unsure of the situation, he turned to the two young customers. “These ones, huh?”

“Most certainly! And nothing you can say will talk us out of it!” Shana explained with a cross of her arms.

“We need them!” Bridget joined desperately as she pulled out her wallet and revealed her cash.

Looking at the green bills, Bob’s eyes lit up. “No arguments here. Move over girl, I’ll handle this.” He said as he pushed Helga out of the way to finish the transaction.

Despite not appreciating the shove, Helga huffed and backed away. “Suit yourself.” She mumbled before walking over to her backpack and throwing it over her shoulder. She watched from a distance as the girls proudly bought their prized new possessions. I almost feel guilty… almost… she thought with a laugh before leaving the show room and heading into the kitchen. Inside, Miriam was fixing herself a coffee and resting her elbows on the counter; completely unaware of her daughters presence.

Helga threw her backpack on the table and startled the woman with a loud bang. “O-oh! Helga!” Miriam said, a little shaken. “When did you come home?”

“About 20 minutes ago, you know when school ended?” Helga answered a matter-of-factly as she opened up her bag and pulled out a few notebooks.

Miriam watched in silence a moment, before slowly taking a sip of her coffee. “Is… is that homework?” She asked sheepishly, not wanting to frustrate her daughter with all the imposing questions.

“Doi!” Helga blurted out before noticing the coffee mug in her mother’s hands. “Are you… are you drinking coffee?”

Looking down at her mug, Miriam gave it a curious look. “Why, yes it is, Helga.” She responded cheerfully. “I figured with how business has picked up a little, I might be of some use to B if I was more awake.”

Helga could see her mother was trying her best, but decided not to indulge the woman further and went back to her homework. After a minute of awkward silence, Helga looked up to see her mother was still peering at her from across the small room. “So why are you in here and not out there helping?”

The older woman looked down at the tiled floor and toyed with a crumb at her foot. “Oh… You know how he can get when he’s overwhelmed.” Miriam explained with a hint of sadness in her voice. “I tried to help a few times but ended up knocking over displays or spilling coffee on someone’s shirt… So he sent me in here to be out of the way.”

Helga let out a long dragged out sigh and shut her science book. “Well you’re not helping anyone being back here either. Just go out there and try again. Welcome customers into the store if you have to but leave the coffee here.”

“A-are you sure? I don’t want to be in the way…” Miriam replied as she gave a look of concern into her daughter’s eyes. “How about I help you with your homework instead? I was pretty good at that the last time I helped you, remember?”

The irritated girl thought back to when her mother ran the beeper emporium for the short amount of time needed. Miriam had become a woman that she’d never seen before. Strong, independent and quick witted. It was amazing what she could accomplish once she put down her substance and forced on something and this included helping Helga with her homework. Her lunches were pretty good too. Sadly though, the homework Helga had was rather simple and she needed no help. “No thanks, Mom. I’m pretty sure Bob needs you more than I do right now. It got pretty lively a little while ago.”

Hearing her youngest actually referred to her as her proper noun caused the woman to smile slightly. “Well… alright then.” She said as she put down her coffee which looked barely touched. “I guess I’ll go do that then.”

Miriam walked around the counter and passed Helga before stopping abruptly. “But if you want help, just ask okay honey?”

Helga nodded and opened her book back up, signaling her mom to leave.

She stared at the book for a long while, however it didn’t matter how many times she read the first sentence, and it just didn’t stick in her mind. “Crimity!” She wailed before sitting back in her chair. “This is hopeless. I give up.” She said before slamming the book shut and shoving it in her bag. She knew she was going to need something to gear up her brain and get the juices flowing and she knew just what to rely on.

Quickly the young girl headed into her room and down into her trusty lair where all of her Arnold paraphernalia awaited. There, she turned on her computer and with a loud buzz and whine from its power supply, it started up.

“Oh you magnificent being! Let me gaze upon you and open my mind’s eye….” She said out loud to herself as she waited for the old thing to fully start up. It didn’t take long for the manufacturer’s logo to appear and then the software’s. Impatiently the girl tapped her foot on the floor. The moment everything was fully loaded and ready, Helga opened up her Arnold folder and scrolled through various pictures taken that she had taken the liberty to upload there as opposed to pasting the pictures in notebooks that would later fall apart. Swooning at one image in particular of Arnold standing and waiting at the bus stop, Helga grasped her hands together and swirled around in her chair. “My darling! How you make my very being burn up with passion! How I wish to be surrounded by nothing but you! There has never been a day that went by that my heart hasn’t fluttered at the sound of your name. Dare I ask… does your heart flutter at mine?” The girl then thought back to his odd behavior and embarrassing explanation at the park, which caused her mind to get cloudy with ecstasy. “I can’t believe the day has actually come where you’ve thought of me as more than a mere tormentor, more than a classmate, more than just that girl who eyes you from across the room adoringly… Oh Arnold, my passio; my sufferer. Are you not yet ready to leap in the deep vast waters of our love? Just how long will you let my wait for your intended gifts of love?” She continued to scroll through her pictures of him one after another until a small red dot with the number one inside caught her attention.

Taking her mouse in hand, Helga hovered over the notification and clicked on it. Within seconds, a web page was pulled up to the known image of her email.

“The geek replied I see…” She said as she saw the new mail. Now fully out of her Arnold trance, Helga brought her face close to the screen and started to read Brainy’s long email. “Unorthodox question, huh? Why would it matter if the computer is from the emporium or my personal one…?” She asked herself; scratching her chin and continuing on. His analysis of her parents made a bit of sense and made her think back to past conversations with them, as well as how her mother acted today. Feeling her heart go solemn, she wondered if Olga had received her letter yet. Lastly… ”Lastly, I believe it would do YOU a great of good to let your beloved see your demons as well…- reach out to him and find the well of happiness you deserve.” Brainy’s words struck a chord in her heart she didn’t want touched. Placing her hand on her chest, she leaned back into her computer chair and stared at the words on her screen. Everyone seemed to agree that opening up to Arnold completely was in her best interest but… was it in his? Did his weird shaped head really need the extra burden of her personal problems as well? He just got his family back after all, and now he’s dealing with his own changes… wouldn’t hers added just overwhelm him? Helga sank deeply into her chair and sulked. “If only it were that easy…” She whispered sadly. “Arnold has enough on his plate as it is and I’ve been dealing with my problems forever… what’s another lifetime added on, right?”

Shaking her head to remove the negativity from her brain, Helga sat back up and began to type her reply to her secret admirer who was no longer secret.

“To: GoldenHero  
From: Helgoth  
Subject: Re: Unorthodox Question,

Uhhh, Yeah this is the store’s computer originally but I hijacked it since it’s been long forgotten about. Why do you ask? Thanks for the thoughts on my parents but I’m gonna have to pass on the advice about Arnold. He has his own problems and doesn’t need mine.”

Helga reread her message before promptly hitting the “send” button and relaxing back in her chair. Unsure if she should go back into her Arnold dream land or actually mature up and go back to her homework, she sat there. Oddly enough, it only took mere moments for a noise to ping in her ear to indicate she had another new message.

“What is he like stalking me or something?” She asked herself before slapping herself in the forehead. “Doi, of course he is. I knew that already but geez! It’s like he ran to his computer the moment he got home and waited for my response… what a creeper.”

Helga opened up her new message and cocked and eyebrow. It was significantly shorter than all the other emails he had sent her:

“To: Helgoth  
From: GoldenHero  
Subject: Download me…,

My heart sores that you would grace me with another email back. I won’t take up much of your time as I know it is precious… but would you entertain me for a moment? I have attached a program to this email. Download and install it and leave your computer on sleep mode tonight. Tomorrow after school, I want you to uninstall this program as soon as you can. I’m sure you have many questions however it would be in both our best interests if you do not ask and trust in me, my dearest.

Attachment: Onlooker.exe”

 

“Onlooker?” Helga read to herself the file’s name “Sounds like he’s going the extra mile to see me at home now too…” She scowled at his tactics before clicking on the attachment then fully downloaded and installed its software. “Well jokes on him because his webcam has never worked a day in it life and even IF it ever did, all he’d see is the black from this dark room once I leave.”

There was something that bothered her though that she couldn’t seem to dismiss. It’s best if I don’t ask questions… what’s the deal with that? She wondered as impatiently tapped on her sleek desk with her fingernails. Shivers shot up her spine at the thought of Brainy being shadier than usual.

 

Hours passed and soon afternoon turned into the night and left many people in Hillwood asleep in their beds… save for one night owl on a mission.

The stand up fan in Brainy’s dark bedroom slowly oscillated back and forth, giving a warm faint breeze every time it touched him. His face was illuminated by the LED computer screen in front of him, complimenting his already pale skin. Breathing heavily, he looked at the time. It was 11:09pm. Helga must surely already be asleep…

He looked at an icon sitting in the far right lower corner of his desktop: “Onlooker” It was a simple program that he had downloaded from the darkest depth of the internet and then proceeded to modify in his own time. For what reason? There was none. Brainy had a lot of free time and spent the majority of it searching the world-wide-web when alone… which was most often than not. This mother worked third shift as janitorial staff at a government facility a few cities away and he had never met his father, so the only quality time he spent with his family was the small time margin when she got home and before he went to school. After school, she would be asleep until around 10pm which was normally the time he was drift off into his own dreamland… except for tonight. Although tonight was a school night, Brainy had more important things to do.

He hovered over the icon with anticipation soaring through his veins. Should he really do this? Listening to Helga’s intimate love rambles and watching her from afar was one thing… but would really being this intrusive be okay? Brainy could feel his body begin to shake under the tremendous amount of pressure he was putting himself through. Instinctively he grabbed his inhaler and took a puff. This is for her benefit… her happiness… it doesn’t matter what happens to me. He thought as he slowed down his breathing. Any amount of help I can give… no matter how small… is worth it.

Soon he double clicked the icon and started up the program. After entering a few codes and passwords, he was in. The light on Helga’s desktop flickered on from a few blocks away, even though no one was around to see it. There in front of Brainy was her company’s bland layout of a desktop. He had all night to search through its files to find what he needed.

 

TAP… TAP… TAP… TAP…

Arnold sat slouched at his school desk, pencil in hand with a book in front of him. The class was doing a reading assignment and the dead silence was beginning to buzz in his ear. In an attempt to remedy the situation, he began to tap his pencil against the wood of his desk. He stared at the pages of the book with a blank train of thought. Periodically he looked from his book over at the ticking clock to the right of him and from there, to the front of the classroom where the rest of the students were carrying out the same task he was: To read the short story and write his interpretation of what the author was trying to convey. The story itself was fairly simple, however it was hard to see if there was further meaning to the story than just that in itself; a story. He looked around and saw some of his classmates had already begun to write down their own interpretations and began to feel inadequate. Class only had about 15 more minutes left… just what would he write? Skimming through the story once more in order to possibly grasp something he missed originally; Arnold continued to tap on his desk.

Minutes continued to fade away until the poor boy gave up in his endeavors and wrote all he could think of, even if it was a little half baked. The bell rang and all of the students got up from their seats and handed their papers into Mr. Simmons before slowly making their way out of the classroom. Arnold gathered his belongings and waited for Gerald to also do the same.

“Ready Gerald?” He asked with a little enthusiasm in his voice as he led his best friend out of the room.

“You know it,” Gerald responded with a smile, “I heard coach say we’re gonna be starting dodgeball, and you know I have the best aim.”

The two laughed with anticipation as they headed on down towards the gym.

After changing in the boys’ locker room, the two headed to the large gymnasium where they met up with the rest of their class and awaited the coach. Arnold watched on as Gerald boasted about his sniper’s aim while Curly chimed in with his impeccable blocking skills. Their voices all became drowned out the moment Arnold noticed the girls emerging from their own locker room and of course his eyes searched for a specific someone. Helga walked out in her usual gym attire of a white tank top and pink shorts, along with Phoebe who didn’t seem to have changed at all. Noticing this, Arnold nudged Gerald and signaled his attention.

“It looks like Phoebe isn’t participating today…” Arnold mentioned as he watched the girls stand in their usual corner of the gym. “Did you ever find out what was wrong?”

Gerald became silent and Arnold couldn’t help but become curious. “Gerald?”

With a weak shake of his head, Gerald let out a small sigh. “Yeah… sorta,” He responded wearily.

Arnold could see from his friend’s dark expression that further questions weren’t welcome and turned back to the girls. They seemed to be carrying on normally as Helga told some sort of story to Phoebe in a dramatic way, full with arm flailing, and the boy couldn’t help but smile at Helga’s antics and clearly neither could Phoebe.

“Alright class! Suit up, suit up!” Coach Wittenberg called out as he stomped through the room to get their attention. “As I’m sure all of you remember from last class, I said we’d be doing dodgeball!”

The class cheered in response but was immediately silenced once the coach put his hand up.

“However this is no longer going to be the case!” His loud voice echoed through the room and caused all the students to groan and turn to one another in confusion. With a harsh sigh, the coach continued, “The school unfortunately can no longer afford to replace our old ones, and since those are too beaten up to use, we will be doing something different.”

Gerald crossed his arms in annoyance. “So what are we doing then?”

The coach turned to the disgruntled boy and gave him a large grin. “Instead we’re going to be doing track and field. Usually this is saved for the end of the school year when it starts to get warm but I figured since our curriculum has already been reallocated, that we would cut our losses and make the best of the rest of the summer we have left. Any questions?”

“Sir… this school doesn’t have a track.” Arnold mentioned with a slow raise of his hand.

“Correct! This is why we’ll be walking down the street to the high school to use theirs.” The man replied promptly. “After you graduate from P.S. 118, you will undoubtedly be transferred to P.S. 121, where you will become more acquainted with the track and field.”

“But sir, what if we choose to go to a different high school?” Peapod kid asked in his deep voice.

Coach Wittenberg let out a large whine. “I don’t know, kid! Then you’ll use whatever sort of gym system they have over there. Anymore useful questions?”

Sid raised his hand. “What will we be doing at the end of the school year then?”

Coach Wittenberg cleared his throat and averted his eyes from the small boy. “That has yet to be determined. Any other questions?”

The students began to quietly murmur between each other until the older male got fed up with it and led them all outside.

“Man! This is ridiculous!” Gerald cried out as they exited through the large metal double doors to the outside. “First they get rid of half the class, now they got rid of dodgeball?! It’s almost like they don’t want me to have fun this year!”

Arnold replied with a half smile. “Don’t say that, Gerald. This year may have started off…” he trailed off as he noticed Helga stomping in front of him, “unusual but I’m sure the rest of the year will be fine.”

The tall dark skin boy scoffed, “Whatever you say, Arnold but that just you looking on the bright side as always.”

“Well somebody has to.” Arnold reminded, now with a full on smile.

 

“You sure you’re gonna be okay by yourself Pheebs?” Helga asked as the students all prepared to stretch. “I’m pretty sure I could probably sit this class out with you, ya know for moral support or something.”

“Most certainly, Helga.” The young Asian girl replied with a smile. “I’ll be A-Okay.”

Helga responded with a simple shrug, “If you say so.” Then turn and ran back with the rest of the females.

“Alright you wimps! Grab a partner and stretch! You’ll be running a mile afterwards.” The coach yelled to them all with full force.

Helga frowned and smacked herself in the forehead. What luck?! Who's gonna be my partner now that Phoebe is sitting this one out? She thought as she slowly moved her hand down her face. Everyone seemed to already have a partner except…. Great… Helga cringed as a tall yet happy girl jogged up to her.

“Hello there, Helga!” Sheena greeted, “I see that you usual partner is sitting out and Eugene is currently resting in the nurses office after eating something he was allergic to… Would you mind being my partner?”

“Criminy…” Helga whined as she looked around again at everyone, “Yeah, Yeah I guess so… Just don’t get used to it.”

Sheena nodded politely and headed on over to the others, leaving Helga standing there cursing her luck. There was nothing particularly bad about Sheena, the girl just always seemed abnormally happy for Helga’s taste. Her optimism and passiveness even rivaled that of Arnold and that was saying a lot. A girl who soul life purpose seemed to be taking care of the less fortunate and taking care of the earth. Her esteem for everyone around her was truly admirable; however there was only so much “hippy talk” that Helga could take. Slowly, the girl made her way to her partner.

Coach Wittenberg instructed the students on the proper way of stretching and, using Arnold as his demonstrative partner, gave visuals on how each pair should help each other out. The thought of Sheena having to touch her, made Helga cringe.

“Would you like to go first, Helga?” Sheena asked considerately as she motioned to the ground; indicating Helga to sit down.

Helga crossed her arms and stubbornly looked away. “Psh, No thanks. You can go first if you want.”

Understandingly, Sheena sat down and posed in the same position as everyone else. Eventually it got to the part where Helga had to assist and she did so even if very unwillingly.

“This isn’t so bad, is it Helga?” Sheena asked as she pulled herself forward to reach the tip of her shoes. It was no surprise to her that her partner didn’t find it necessary to respond so Sheena continued to try and make small talk. Looking up at the clear skies, Sheena smiled. “At least it’s a nice day out!”

“Uh huh…” Helga responded blandly as she looked elsewhere to find a certain football headed boy to see what he was up to.

“The forecasts predict that the weather all week will be bright and shining!” The tall girl grinned as she finished her stretches and got up. She could see Helga was preoccupied and gave a shy smile. “It’s nice how certain things can make the day shine even brighter…”

“Huh?!” Helga yelped as she was startled by Sheena’s sudden attentiveness. “W-what are you talking about? Are we done yet?”

“You don’t have to hide it.” Sheena whispered as she signaled to Helga that it was, in fact, her turn to stretch. “There’s nothing to be ashamed about.”

Helga blushed awkwardly before sitting down and beginning her stretches. “I DON’T know what you’re going on about, just focus on helping me, got it?!”

Sheena let out a small giggle before complying with the stubborn girl’s request. She had known Helga just as long as the rest of them and knew that she was a solid force to be reckoned with, however she wished just once that the girl would lighten up a bit.

Now feeling self conscious, Helga focused on her assigned task and remained focused until all the stretches were done. Everyone rose to their feet and awaited the coach’s next instructions.

Coach Wittenberg pointed to the large black track, “This is your next task. You will all run 4 laps around this track which will equal precisely 1 mile.” then finished with a loud blow of his whistle. All of the kids bolted off towards the track.

“You know Arnold, You’re right. This isn’t half bad.” Gerald agreed through steady breaths to his partner. “It’s not dodge ball, but it’s not half bad.”

“Glad to hear your day is looking up.” Arnold replied as he managed to keep up with Gerald’s pace. He was not a particularly fast runner; however Arnold had a fair amount of endurance due to the training he received from his grandmother. He knew that Gerald would eventually outlast him but he would continue at this pace as long as possible.

They ended up passing the still sitting Phoebe and Arnold caught a frown from his friend. “I’m sure she’s fine.” He said reassuringly.

Gerald turned his head to keep his attention on the track. “Yeah, I know.” He said rather flatly. His attitude towards his girlfriend was becoming concerning to the blonde boy and only made him wonder further what the problem was. The subject still seemed very unwelcome.

Arnold thought back to how concerned Gerald always was for him and his problems. No matter what the situation or how Arnold reacted, Gerald was always there for him no matter what. Shouldn’t Arnold be able to do the same? What about this situation seemed so impenetrable? The vibe Gerald was giving off was just odd.

Looking over at his concerned friend, Gerald let out a sigh and slowed his pace down. “It’s not a big deal, Arnold. Don’t sweat it.” He said with a weak smile, similar to one had given earlier.

“It just…” Arnold started, feeling a little cautious about his next few words, “You always say that there is no secret’s between us, right? So why won’t you tell me what’s up?”

Gerald frowned. “Because it’s not about us, Arnold. What’s going on with her is her business and not mine to tell… not that I’d wanna tell anyhow. Girls are just… you know, weird.”

“Weird?” Arnold asked, now intrigued. “What do you mean?”

“You know, weird.” Gerald repeated, hoping his friend would catch on. “They’re different than us; hard to understand.”

His words still only confused the boy worse. “I don’t get it.”

Now becoming fully aggravated with the topic, Gerald rushed his pace. “Never mind man, just drop it.”

The truth was, although the situation had been fully explained to Gerald by his girlfriend, he still didn’t fully understand it all that well himself. Sure, he knew a lot about girls from his brother but this? This was just way different. Phoebe, being the intellectual that she was, did her best to go into very scientific detail in hopes of making her predicament more interesting rather than the disgusting mess it was, only leaving Gerald with far more questions than he started with and not wanting them answered. He knew that woman gave birth to children but he didn’t quite know the process in which the body had to undergo in order for that function to work properly! The tall haired boy cringed a little and began to run full pace passed everyone else, leaving his best friend in the dust to think.

Just a few feet away, Helga watched as Gerald ran off and wondered what could have happened. She could see that Arnold was troubled and it made her heart ache. Did they have a fight? Oh my poor football headed dream boat, dare I attempt to console you? She asked inside as love pulsed through her veins. Brainy’s words flooded forward into her mind and she began to highly consider them. Maybe… If I talked about my problems to him, he could talk about his problems with me! The option was very plausible however the fact that all of her classmates were around her made it very impossible. Maybe later… I just wish he didn’t look so sad! Maybe a little talking couldn’t hurt; after all I did sorta blow him off yesterday.

Helga ran up close to her beloved and ran at his pace. “Hey football head, how’s it hanging?” She asked casually as to make nothing seem amiss. “This totally blows, right? I mean, whose idea was it to make us all run a mile in the hot summer weather? There’s a total heat wave today! I’m practically dying!”

Arnold could sense she was doing her best and gave her a soft smile. “You’re not the only one thinking that…” He replied quietly, looking forward to watch Gerald turn the wide corner and continue on.

“Something eating Tall Hair boy?” She inquired thoughtfully, hoping that her prying didn’t make his situation any worse than it might have been.

They both began to jog slower until receding to a brisk walk, letting all of the other students pass by. “Something seems to be on his mind and he doesn’t want to talk about it.” He admitted, looking up into Helga’s eyes and showing the sorrow that lingered behind them.

“So why not be the prying goody-two-shoes you are and bug him about it?” Helga asked with a snicker, “What’s stopping you?”

“That’s the thing…” Arnold sighed, “I did ask him about it but… he just brushed it off and told me to drop it. Gerald is always open and honest with me so it’s strange that he’s being so…-”

“Distant?” Helga suggested, interrupting his pause.

“Yeah” Arnold said exhaustively, as if he had the world on his shoulders.

Helga looked around to see that no one was in ear shot, save for Harold’s wobbling, panting attempt at a run and decided it was alright to talk a little… freer. “Everybody has things they want to keep to themselves sometimes… right?” She asked genuinely, “I’m sure there has been a time in your life where something was up but you didn’t want to discuss it with anyone. I’m like that… all the time.”

Her openness was surprising and Arnold turned to her in shock. He contemplated her words and did remember a few times, even recently, where he was put in a spot he didn’t want to be open about. Was Gerald possibly going through something difficult that he himself couldn’t talk about? Did something happen between him and Phoebe yesterday that he’s not comfortable discussing even with him? The thought hadn’t crossed his mind until now. Despite Gerald walking in on his and Helga’s first real show of affection, Arnold didn’t exactly feel comfortable talking about his relationship with her to an extent, even to his best friend. “Yeah… You’re right.”

“I-I am?” Helga asked, startled by his revelation and blushed. “I mean, of course I am! I’m always right Football head and you better remember it! Doi!”

With a chuckle, Arnold could feel himself feeling a little better. “Thanks, Helga. This talk really helped.”

Her blush became darker and she held back a swoon from emerging. “N-no p-problem…” Feeling as though she was going to explode with passion, Helga sped up. “We gotta finish this run or we’ll be here all night! Pick up your feet, paste-for-brains!” She said before zooming off.

Arnold continued to chuckle to himself, knowing full well why she did what she did. He watched as she ran off and noticed her athletic features until something inside him stirred once more, something he had done well to ignore. He had always noticed Gerald checking out girls from time to time and never exactly understood why, but never questioned it either… was this what it felt like? If so… “I guess this isn’t all that bad…”


	17. Chapter 17

Gym class ended with Helga gaining a sense of accomplishment. Still feeling the heat on her cheeks and her heart still in a flutter, she jogged over to her best friend with a little pant still in her lungs.

"Ready to go, Pheebs?" She asked after breathing heavy a little bit.

Phoebe had known that they would be participating in physical activity today and had done well to bring something to occupy herself, as she had a note from her mother excusing her from such sports. Finishing the last few sentences of her chapter book, she closed it with a smile. "Ready!" She replied happily. She analyzed the air surrounding her best friend and tilted her head in curiosity "Did something happen?"

"Happen?" Helga repeated in sudden shock, unsure of what to say. "Whatever could you mean Phoebe? Nothing happened, okay? I ran, we ran, everyone ran and I'm just out of breath, that's all."

Phoebe could feel a chuckle come along and she gathered her things and stood up to meet her best friends gaze. "Okay, if you say so Helga…" She spoke with a little arrogance, "but I'm fully aware of your physical boundaries and know that the little jogging you did wasn't enough to make you this winded."

The blonde, pigtailed girl growled under her breath and waited for her classmates to lead the way so she and Phoebe could tail behind. "It's a blistering hot day, Phoebe! Of course I'm winded! Not everyone gets to sit on the grass and read…" Before finishing her sentence, Helga glanced down at the small book in the young girl's hand, "The Handmaid's Tale?"

"And a shame that is Helga, as this is a very intriguing book. It paints the bleak lives of women who are treated like their only use is to procreate and follow instructions of men." Phoebe explained as she looked up to her companion to make sure she was paying attention. "They aren't even given real names as to show they're just objects; truly tragic but also insightful."

"Insightful?" Helga asked with a raised eyebrow, "It sounds just plain depressing to me. What's got you reading that crap anyway? Thinking of joining an all women's cult to overthrow men and lead a nation of your own?"

Phoebe gave a small pout and clutched her book close to her. "It's not crap, Helga and of course not. Although this is a rather peculiar choice, given my regular novels, I would have to argue that sometimes change is good." She could see that Helga's skepticism was on the rise and let out a small sigh of defeat. "And I suppose my estrogen levels have been peaked as of late, causing me to become a little unpredictable and emotional."

"Ah…" Helga smiled as she noticed they were closer to the school and could only fantasize about the small amount of air conditioning they could budget, "Don't you love being a girl? Thankfully I don't have to deal with all that just yet but I'm sure when I do…" Helga stopped to develop her thought, "I'll probably blow the school up or something." She finished with a shrug.

"Helga!" Phoebe gasped in offence.

"Don't worry; I'll make sure no one I like is here when that happens." Helga replied with a wholesome chuckle and a wink.

After retrieving their normal clothes from their own locker rooms and a quick shower, all of the students from P.S.118 emerged happily from their obligatory confides and ran towards freedom, however save for two of them.

The foursome stood in front of the doors as both Arnold and Helga gulped. The boarding house very rarely had a working air conditioner on account of his grandpa believing "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" when in fact, although the air conditioner wasn't exactly broken, it also had to be bashed on with a hammer a few times to even start up and even then didn't blow very cold air. Helga, on the other hand, no longer had the beautiful gift of central cooling inside the Beeper Emporium, as her father no longer had the expenditures to spend on such luxuries.

Gerald grabbed his small girlfriends hand and gave her a reassuring smile. "Ready?" He asked her. She nodded in response and with that gave the young man the confidence he needed to begin walking, despite the lack there of motivation behind him. Within a few steps, he looked behind him to see the other two still had their feet planted. "Guys?"

"Huh?" Arnold replied as his brain released him from the dazed thought of enjoying cool air for the rest of the day. "Oh yeah, sorry Gerald." He turned to Helga with a forced smile and his hand out in hopes of her taking it.

"In your dreams, bucko!" She shouted at him before crossing her arms, causing him to frown. Instantly regretting her words, Helga fumbled and reworded herself as she looked at the other couple in front of them "I mean… If they want to add more heat to themselves by latching on to each other, then that's on them but I don't need the extra heat."

"Oh no… what happened to the central air in the emporium?" Phoebe asked sadly to her blonde friend.

Narrowing her eyes with a troubled look, Helga sighed "Bob had to cut the extra cost in order to keep up with some financials a few weeks ago." She seethed.

"Times that tough, huh?" Gerald chimed in, attempting to sound sympathetic to the girls' situation.

Helga threw her hands in the air. "Yeah well what do you expect when you have a pig headed dad who would rather continue to make us suffer through this downward slope of a business than just selling the whole thing and cutting his losses?!" She replied as she let her emotions about the topic get the best of her. "I'd rather stay here and enjoy what cool air there is rather than spend another moment in that crapshoot."

The three companions exchanged worrisome looks before coming to a silent contentious on leaving the topic to rest for their friend's sake. There was nothing that could be done to help, and they all knew it.

With a growl, Helga stomped on through the double doors and into the heat while the rest followed. The subject changed into something more pleasant as the four walked towards their regular meeting area before parting ways. She didn't want nor need their pity as she was plenty capable of dealing with her ever changing environment, but the wish of it changing for the better always lingered in her heart. Helga turned her head and watched as the only people close to her slowly made their distance and a small pain twanged her heart. They were all going back to their loving parents and her? Helga turned to look at the gradually decaying building ahead of her. She was going home to that.

Marching towards her destination, Helga noticed something particular in front of the building that caught her attention. In a front parking spot was a rather nice looking shiny car; something that looked like it should be miles away from Big Bobs Beepers. Hastening her steps, she got closer and noticed a woman step out in a small business suit and enter the glass doors. With a sudden strange interest, Helga approached her dwelling and walked inside.

The woman stood looking around aimlessly, as if she was lost. A little taller than Helga, with short gray hair and glasses that hung delicately around her neck, the older woman turned to the young girl with fatigue on her face.

"Oh dear… You'd think with a going out of business sale like this there would be employees around to help customers." She said to Helga with a worrisome look.

Helga placed her hands on her hips and slouched. "You're looking at probably the only alert employee here, lady."

With a look turning from utter exhaustion to a small hint of delight, the woman smiled gently. "Oh I see! Well then, I suppose you'll do…" She said as she turned to lift up the small briefcase she had been carrying. Turning to look for a spot to set it down on, the mysterious lady decided on a small beeper display and opened the case to reveal a stack of papers. "I called about a week ago and spoke to a woman. She informed me that there were still many beepers in stock and my company would be very happy to buy them from you." She explained as she pulled out a small familiar looking flier and handed it to Helga. "We found this in our hospital and my director is very interested in purchasing whatever you have left, so long as they're still useable."

Helga looked the woman up and down before snatching the flier out of her hand. This is the flier that Arnold was passing out around that town! She thought as her eyes grew wide. Looking back at the woman, she could tell that she was indeed serious. "And you want to buy out… our whole stock?" Helga asked in shock.

"Why, yes… I hope that is alright." She smiled at the young girl again.

There was something so simple yet comforting about the woman that stood in front of Helga. She had a very natural grandmother vibe about her and made Helga feel like she could tell this woman anything and not be judged. "Alright? Well of course it is! Take them all for all I care!" She replied to the woman with a snarky tone before looking around to see the very empty store. "But unfortunately one of my parents has to be the one to sign off on them. You know child labor laws and such? So let me go find one of them for you."

The woman nodded in understanding and Helga walked through the showroom and into the back. It was quiet as if no one else was around despite the front door being unlocked. "Bob? Miriam? We have a customer!" Helga called out as she looked into the kitchen. No one. She continued towards her room to see that her bedroom door was cracked open. "Crimity…" She scowled as she approached the room and pushed open the door. In front of her lay her mother, sleeping on her bed. Helga walked over to the sleeping parent and pushed on her shoulders. "Come on, Miriam…" She said with aggravation emanating from her soul, "You have actual work to do! Get up!"

Miriam stirred a little before picking herself up, adjusting the misplaced glasses on her face and looking around dazed and confused. "Huh? Where am I?" She asked.

"My bed, Doi!" The angry preteen replied as she pointed to her bed. "What are you even doing in here? You normally sleep on the couch."

Rubbing some sleep out of her eyes, Miriam let out a small yawn before looking around the room. Her eyes lit up with realization. "Oh yeah! I came in here because your father was complaining about not having clean clothes so I figured I would gather your clothes as well…" She explained as she recalled her memories, "Then I saw your bed and thought it needed to be made but before I could make it, I ended up falling asleep on it! Isn't that funny?"

"Yeah it's hysterical, Miriam…" Helga sighed as she looked behind her, remembering that there was a serious customer waiting for them. "Where's Bob anyway? We have a woman here looking to buy practically the whole store!"

The weathered woman pondered a moment before letting out a small noise of enlightenment. "Oh right! He said he had some errands to run and around be back soon… who did you say was here, honey?"

Helga let out a loud growl and stomped her foot. "A customer! Now get your butt out there and take care of her!" Helga demanded as she grabbed her mother's hand and hoisted her on her feet. "She said she talked to you over the phone like a week ago, does that jog your memory?"

Miriam smiled at her daughter's assertive behavior. Her mind was fuzzy but she couldn't help but think that Helga was growing up to be just like her father. "Well look at you, Mrs. Business woman!" She replied with a small giggle before letting her daughter push her out of the room. "Alright, alright I'm going but maybe you should come along and watch for your own educational benefit?"

The thought was absolutely troublesome; however the young girl was interested in such a large transaction. It was possible that this woman was going to really help them our financially. "Educational? Crimity Miriam… sure whatever just go help that lady."

As the two entered the showroom, the older woman stood in the same spot Helga had left her and was gazing down at a small handheld computer. Upon hearing their footsteps, she turned the screen off and placed it down inside her suitcase. "Lovely!" She gasped in delight as she saw that Helga had found an adult. "You must be the woman who I spoke with the other day! My name is Diane Winchester." She introduced herself with an applied hand reaching out for a handshake.

Miriam shook the woman's hand and smiled back. "Miriam Pataki, It's very nice to meet you Diane." She then turned to her daughter who looked very disgruntled, "This is my daughter Helga, she told me that you're still interested in buying some of our products?"

Diane nodded and turned back to her briefcase. She pulled out what looked to be a contract and handed it to the now alert woman standing in front of her. "Yes. As I said on the phone, I represent Saint Paul's Hospital and we're in dire need of communication devices however…" Her voice turned depressed and her smile disappeared, "Our Hospital has a very strict budget that we're not allowed to go over, and our doctors and nurses have needs that have been going unmet for quite some time. Many of them require a personal handheld device that lets us contact them quickly when there is an emergency, but it is not within our budget to give them company cell phones just yet. My director noticed a flier of yours inside our building and thought your beepers, as cheap as they are right now, would be a perfect fit for our hospital. This is our budget for this purchase; I hope it is within reason."

"Don't you worry Ms. Diane, You're in good hands." Miriam replied as she took the papers and filed through them. "My memory may be a little bad at time but I do remember the phone call." She then turned to Helga, "Honey, could you go in that back hallway closet and bring me out the box of beepers there?"

The request surprised Helga as she remembered that very box. "Uh, sure." She said as she hurried away, leaving the two adults to discuss business. As Helga came to the closet, she opened the door and saw the box still sitting where she had last seen it. Gingerly, she lifted the box off the floor and did well to lift with her legs and held the box close to her body as to center her gravity; something she had been taught from last year's science class. Mixed emotions went through the girl as she grasped the box tightly. Did Arnold's half baked plan really work? Was it possible that Miriam really had a hand in securing such a large sale that could quite possibly get their family back on even ground? Not only that, but she unearthed and singled out probably one of the best versions of beepers they had left over, just for this company in need? The thought was both compelling and unbelievable. Miriam- the woman who can't even remember to lock the store up at closing time, the woman who gives shaving cream and crackers as a lunch, the woman who accidentally forgets to buy groceries and instead uses the money on her own vices… Helga then remembered the one time in her life where her mother was actually stable and responsible. Wow… It's just like Brainy said, give the woman a purpose and she can be pretty incredible. She recalled silently to herself. Maybe things are really going to be okay for once…

Helga struggled a little but managed to bring the merchandise safely and securely to the two mingling adults. "Here you go, one box of beepers." She announced as she placed the box on the floor between them.

Miriam opened the box and pulled out one of the models. "These right here are the Moterzola LS6000; The last in their line and by far the most reliable. They were built with the highest frequency available and reinforced with premium stainless steel so they're nearly indestructible…" She explained with a very informative voice as she handed the model to the woman.

Taking the little piece of technology in her hand, Diane's head began to swim with advertising buzzwords that meant very little to her. "Will these be able to work around the whole hospital?" She asked patiently, "The hospital itself is quite large and the signal needs to be able to reach not only throughout the inside, but the parking lot and parking garage as well, as some of the staff likes to nap in their vehicles."

Miriam held up her hand as if she was giving her most precious promise. "Of course, ma'am. You're in good hands! Not only will they be able to receive their message as soon as it is sent, but they will be able to take them home as well and still receive the signal."

With a sigh, Diane handed the small device back to the business woman in front of her. "And this premium model… it is still within our budget?"

Nodding, Miriam placed the beeper back in its box. "Absolutely. You're budget is not a problem and I've made sure to include a few extra just in case some get lost. They are a little older than this model, however they should get the job done."

Hope filled the older woman's heart as she grasped the deal she was given. Not only was her director going to be pleased, but she was going to be able to make such a difference in how the hospital was run. She held out her hand to Miriam again. "Thank you so much! You're such a life saver!"

Helga watched in awe as her mother took the woman over to the cash register to sign papers and accept payment. It was simply amazing to see her mother fully coherent and functioning at full capacity, it was almost like she was staring at another person.

"Wow Mom! That was so crazy! I can't believe this just happened!" Helga eagerly asked her mother as they both watched Diane drive off with her new purchase.

Miriam chuckled and patted Helga on the head. "Don't be so surprised, Helga. I handled the business before and I can always do it again."

"Just wait until Bob comes home! He will flip!" Helga let a laugh escape as her body accepted a calm and secure feeling she hadn't experienced in such a long time.

"Let's surprise him!" Miriam shouted out with a clap of her hands as she turned excitedly to her youngest. "I'll go ahead and order us something nice and while we're eating dinner, we can tell him!"

Helga could see the joy in her mother's eyes and started to understand where her older sister had gotten her enthusiasm from.

The Pataki family sat in their makeshift living room around their take out order eating triumphantly. It hadn't taken long for Bob to come home right after the delivery man had made his drop off, and he was beyond surprised to see his favorite Chinese food awaiting him.

"You sure we can afford this right now, Miriam?" He asked skeptically as he opened his container of Kung Pao Chicken.

The older woman turned to her daughter and exchanged brief smiles before turning to her husband and pushing a container of steamed dumplings to him. "Don't worry about it B…" She started, "It will be fine."

"Uh huh…" He replied as he took a bite of food. He could feel there wasn't something quite right in the air.

Unable to contain herself, Helga decided that she would let the cat out of the bag herself. "We might have stumbled into some cash today…"

This immediately caught the man's attention. "Did more college kids come by?" He asked eagerly before shoving another bite of the greasy concoction into his face.

Miriam cleared her throat and placed some rice on her Styrofoam plate. "Not exactly… A nice woman came by the store today and bought a few things…"

"How much is a few things exactly, Miriam?" Bob asked as he began to get impatient.

Deciding it was best to just show him the receipt, Miriam reached into her pocket and showed it to the man. Immediately, his plastic fork dropped to the floor and his face became flush with shock.

"Pretty cool, huh Bob?" Helga asked; proud of her mother's efforts.

"Holy Father of Creation!" He shouted, unable to contain himself. "This is a lot more than a few things, Miriam! With this kind of money, we could put ourselves back on the map!" He continued as he slapped the receipt with the back of his hand. "This is just the kind of money I need!"

Although his reaction seemed appropriate for the situation, Helga couldn't help but feel suspicious at his last sentence. "Yeah, we could probably buy our house back with this money and still have enough left over to hold us over while you sell this place and get a new job."

"You're thinking too small, girl!" He replied in a gruff voice. "I had a meeting with a few men today and they were willing to loan us some money so we could get back out there! Sell more than just beepers but all sorts of electronics!"

"You tried that already, Bob!" Helga shouted in desperation. "Remember your appliances? Your camping equipment? None of that junk sold!"

Miriam could feel anxiety building within her as her family argued. "Why don't we all just relax a second?" She turned to her daughter, "Helga, why don't you let you father say his idea and B…" She then turned to her husband with sad eyes, "…It would be nice to get the house back."

"We'll get the house back, don't you worry!" His boisterous voice echoed around the room, "But first we'll need to invest this money a little and Wham Bam we'll have our store flying off the charts!"

"You're not listening, Bob!" Helga shouted again, this time pounding her fist angrily on the stone floor. "You've already tried that angle in the past and it didn't work! You don't need to invest this money into another business! Just sell this run down hazard of a shop with the rest of its junk, get our house back and find a real job! No more getting us back on the map! No more Big Bobs! Just…" But just as Helga could feel herself beginning to let down her guards and really speak to her father, she was interrupted with a big fat finger in her face.

"You listen here girl…" He said with a voice so sharp it could cut through glass, "I'm Big Bob Pataki and us Pataki's never fail. We may fall but we pick our keister's right back up and get back into the game! Everyone knows that! Look at your sister! She is a true blue Pataki and has never once failed us. She's won every award she set her sights on; excelled in every area of study she put her mind to and has been making us proud for years! That is the vision we strive for and we accept nothing less!"

Feeling as though she was wrong for even attempting to trust her father, Helga stood up and pointed her finger right back in his face. "She hasn't won every award she set her mind on! Remember the spelling bee? And her judgment in people sucks!" It was if her family's little success had become nothing more than another self righteous pat on the back to the man, and it made her blood boil. "If anyone should decide what we use that money on, it's Miriam because she's the one who made the sale! Not you!"

"That… would be nice." The woman said softly, knowing that she wouldn't be heard over the other two's voices.

"Miriam? She doesn't know the first thing about how to invest and where to put our money!" Bob yelled back as he swung his large arm in the air. "I'm the head of this family and the name on the business and bank account! I know what's best of us and that's final!"

Her blood was beginning to boil over and Helga could no longer see straight. Enough was enough. She took a deep breath in and stood up. "If that's how you want it, fine." She said in an eerily calm way. "Destroy this family. Run us far beneath the ground into poverty, all for the sake of your pride. Take away what this woman achieved and claim it as your birthright simply because you're the holder of our last name. But you know what Bob?" She asked as she sneered towards him, "In the end, how much will that pride cost us? Is it worth more than your family?" and with that, she turned and left into her bedroom leaving both adults to sit in silence.

Helga's words did nothing more than cause her father to angrily dig into his food, while they sunk into her mother's soul. The woman slowly stood up and headed towards the kitchen.

"Where are you going? You gonna abandon me too?" Bob asked as he watched his wife slowly walk away.

"I need a smoothie…" She responded in a low drone of a voice.

The next day, everything went on as usual. Helga got up, brushed her teeth, got ready for school and left. She met up with her friends and went to class. Her classes were boring and uneventful, her conversations meaningless and everything seemed to blur into one big dream. The talking that went on around her was nothing more than white noise and her lack of energy, even negative, seemed to concern everyone around her. No matter what she tried to focus on, everything just seemed too pointless and Helga had no energy to deal with any of it. Quietly, she withstood class until the very end. Even in their new Health class where they started the subject of drugs and alcohol didn't seem interesting to her.

Finally the bell rang and Phoebe grabbed on to Helga's arm before she mindlessly left the classroom.

"Helga… did something happen?" She asked seriously and not intending on letting her friend go until an answer was unearthed.

"Huh?" Helga responded back, only partially snapping back into reality. "What do you mean, Pheebs? I'm fine."

"Helga…" Phoebe began, knowing there was no reason to pussyfoot around the obvious. "Don't insult my intelligence or our friendship. You're acting nothing like yourself. You haven't pushed one kid into a locker, yelled or teased anyone… Are you sick? Has it finally become your time of the month?"

Shaking her head and giving off a small chuckle, Helga removed Phoebe's hand from her arm. "I'm sorry Phoebe…" She responded full of exhaustion. "I just didn't sleep well last night, that's all. Bed's too hard on my back; had me tossing and turning. I'm just tired."

Her explanation gave a small bit of sense, however Phoebe knew that it wasn't the whole truth- if any truth at all. "Helga, you've had the same bed since you were 6 years old. Why would it start to give you problems now? It never has in the past."

"Maybe I'm getting old?" Helga suggested, a little humor in her words.

"It is very unlikely that someone of our age would experience the aches of that of someone much older." Phoebe stated, a little grateful for Helga's change in tone. "However not impossible, considerably unlikely."

Helga shrugged and attempted to walk out again but was immediately halted once more. Her friend's persistence was beginning to wear on her nerves. "Jeez Phoebe, I'm fine now let me go."

"You are most certainly not fine." Phoebe insisted sternly, "and I'm afraid that if you avoid answering me truthfully any longer, that I might become unstable and do something irrational. I would like to avoid that for both or our sakes so if you would please…"

"Fine!" Helga shouted as she whipped her arm back from its captor. "Let's walk and talk, how about that?"

Phoebe accepted the proposal and immediately began to follow her friend. "Why in such a rush to get home?"

"I'm not." Helga put bluntly.

"Did something happen with Arnold?" Phoebe asked, now just guessing at the possibilities for her friend's behavior.

"Not particularly." Helga sighed with annoyance.

"I noticed that every attempt of him talking to you today was futile… forgive me for assuming but that's also very odd." Phoebe frowned.

The two girls pushed the large metal school doors open and walked down the steps. "Maybe I'm just not in the mood to talk to anyone today? I have a right to be in my own mood, Phoebe." Helga noticed that the day was much cooler than it was the day before. She recalled her small uplifting conversation she had had with Arnold, as well as the dread of not spending more time with him but her heart did not stir. She felt dead inside.

Phoebe watched Helga's expression as she answered her and noticed it was still unchanging. The more and more questions she asked, she became no closer to achieving her objective. "Yes, I suppose it is within your right to be as distant as you please but…" Phoebe stopped, causing Helga to do the same. "I'm really worried about you. If not for my sake, then for yours… please tell me what's wrong."

Her words started through Helga like a dull wind; winding and turning through her head until it left a sting somewhere within her. She could see the sadness and concern in her best friends face and knew that her being stubborn wouldn't help either of them at this point as Phoebe was not going to back down. With a final sigh, Helga closed her eyes and pressed her forefinger and thumb up to the bridge of her nose to give herself focus. "Yesterday we sold the majority of our beepers."

"That's… fantastic!" Phoebe's eyes lit up at the information, but then slowly her expression went to confusion. "Isn't it?"

"No…. I mean yes! I mean it's supposed to be but it's not!" Helga tried her best to explain, however fatigue grew on her further and every ounce of her being didn't want to go into the topic. She began to walk again hoping it would bring her stamina back up. "Bob wants to use that money to start our business back up again. It's a stupid idea but nothing I say will change his mind." She began to think back to his speech about her older sister and cringed. "And honestly, I don't even think Olga could change his mind if she tried and you know how she can sweet talk him into anything."

"He's dead set on it, huh?" Phoebe asked, now understanding her best friend's mood.

"Yep." The blonde girl nodded.

Not sure of what to say, they continued their walk in silence as Phoebe thought up reassuring ideas but none of them actually came out of her mouth.

Eventually they came to their parting spot and Helga saw the look of distress on her best friends face. "Don't look at me like that, Pheebs. I'll be fine." She reassured, "I've been living this life for how long?" She chuckled, "You'd think I'd be used to the disappointment but I guess I'm not. It's just… For a moment, for one slight moment I actually believed that everything would be okay; that things would start to look up in my favor. Maybe we'd move out of this dump and back home, maybe we could be a normal family but who am I kidding? That's never going to happen."

"It could one day, Helga." Phoebe coached, trying to be optimistic.

"And one day ice cream will fall from the sky." Helga used the sarcasm to mask the fact that the further they spoke on the subject, the worse she felt. "Dream on, Phoebe. This is just my life: It's how it is now, and it's how it will always be until I'm old enough to get a job and move out on my own." Her words brought little comfort to herself as she had thought on this many times in the past.

"I suppose that is a positive way to look at it…" Phoebe frowned.

Helga placed her hand on her friend's small shoulder in hope of comfort. "Thanks for caring about me, Phoebe." Her voice was warm and kind, despite the negativity and raw emotion she was holding back. "And I'm sorry for keeping these things from you. Something's are just better dealt with by yourself."

Knowing her words were true, Phoebe nodded. "Self contemplation is very important in growing… however, just know if you need anything I'm just a phone call away and my doors are always open to you in case you need to escape."

Helga gave way to a small laugh before turning to the beeper emporium. There it's stood in the day's sunlight in all its deteriorating glory with all the unknown going on inside of it. Maybe her father had thought over her words? Maybe he had already signed on a new contract to begin ruining their lives again? Who knows? She turned back to her best friend. "Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow, Phoebe." And with that, she walked off slowly, leaving her best friend full of mixed emotions.

Laying on his bed alone, with only the sound of smooth jazz coming from his stereo to keep his mind at ease, Arnold stared into the sky. He too had been worried about Helga all day, but reflected on her advice the day before. He furrowed his brows as he thought deeply about life. Here he was, about to be 12 years old. He had his parents back, dating the one girl on earth he never imagined himself with, learning new things about his body and coming to grip with the fact that he was growing up. One day, there will come a day where instead of playing catch in the park on a Saturday afternoon with Gerald, he will be studying for the SAT's to get into college. One day, he will be too big to be hoisted up on his father's shoulders. One day, he would exchange his bike for a car. One day, he would be graduating from school and moving out of the boarding house. One day… he would have a family he created along with the family he was brought into. How soon would those days come? Would it happen in a blink of an eye? Or would he actually feel time pass slowly while he took the time to enjoy his current surroundings? He was always told by his grandparents that time passes by in an instant and before you know it, you're eating baby food again and needing others to wipe your butt. Arnold shuttered at the thought and shook the thought out of his head.

A knock on the door startled the boy and caused him to sit up. "Come in." He welcomed the unknown guest.

The door to his bedroom slowly opened and his father emerged. "How you doing there, son?" He asked softly before he entered the room, "You've been up here since you got home from school. Something on your mind?"

Arnold expression melted into one of gratitude for his father's concern. "Sort of."

Miles gave him a slanted smile and scratched his head nervously. "It's not about the talk we had, is it?" He let out a frustrated sigh, "I know I didn't do very well…"

Patting down the spot next to him, Arnold beckoned his father over to sit down. "No, not exactly. I mean, that's on the list of things I've been thinking about but not the only thing."

The older man walked over to his son and sat down, causing the bed to bounce a little. Looking into the young man's eyes, he could see that Arnold was pondering something heavy. "Serious stuff, huh?" He asked with a playful nudge. "What else is on this list of things you've been up here thinking about?"

After recalling them all briefly in his head, Arnold began to fidget with his thumbs nervously. This was going to be the second father son experience of his life and he wasn't sure what to expect. "Well, mostly just life. Growing up and what to expect…" He started quietly. Silence filled the room as Miles patiently waited for Arnold to continue. "I was just thinking about how my life has changed so much in such a little time. I got you guys back, started a new grade, I'm learning more and more about myself that it's a little overwhelming…"

Miles placed his hand on his sons shoulder and gave it a small squeeze. "I see."

"Yeah." Arnold continued, "And there is one more thing that's really been on my mind…"

"Go on." Miles nodded encouragingly.

Fidgeting again, Arnold could feel a blush overcoming his cheeks and took in a deep breath in a failed attempt at relaxing. "I've been thinking about how… everyone's different. I've been noticing lately small things that I never really paid much attention to before. Such as how someone reacts to something I say, or how someone moves a certain way or has little… I don't know, things that they do that I've never noticed before." Arnold looked bashfully at his father, "Is that weird?"

Unable to contain his small chuckle, Miles smirked and patted his son on the back. "No, that's actually pretty normal. It's good that you're very observant of the people around you. It can really help you in the future, especially when it comes to girls. They can be pretty confusing." He finished with an awkward wink.

Feeling that they were both on the same page, Arnold relaxed a little. "I'm starting to see that now." He agreed as he looked down at his hands. "Helga has always been a really confusing person. One day she hates my guts and is calling me names and picking on me, the next she's giving me helpful advice and saving the day. Next day she avoids me completely and then next she's acting all happy when I'm around."

"And what sort of day was today?" Miles asked with genuine curiosity.

With a solemn sigh, Arnold closed his eyes. "Today she didn't even say one word to me. Not just to me, but to anyone." He shook his head and looked up at his father. "She seemed dazed and confused, like if she was in another dimension the entire time. I tried talking to her, but she barely even noticed I was there…"

Placing a hand on his chin, Miles thought for a moment. "Has she ever done this before?"

Arnold shook his head again. "Not that I can remember, but that's also why I came up here to think. I've been recalling a lot of the things that she's done in the past and compared them to now. I think I can finally understand her a little bit better but this seems really far out in left field. Just yesterday she was her usual self and even gave me pretty good advice."

"So something must have happened after that…" Miles thought out loud as he stroked his long chin. "What's her home life like? I know we met her parents briefly on the plane but I don't remember much about them."

The topic was a difficult one, as it wasn't really Arnold's business to tell, however speaking with his father about it might also enlighten him. "Mr. Pataki isn't very nice. He's loud and bossy and always finding short cuts to get him what he wants even if it means hurting others including his family, Grandpa really doesn't like him. Mrs. Pataki seems rather nice but I don't know much about her. Helga also has an older sister named Olga who is really nice and helpful, however Helga doesn't like her much because they're polar opposites and not in a good way." He explained.

"Uh huh…" Miles commented in between the explanation.

"I've seen her with her family on a number of occasions, and not once did she ever actually look happy. Her father is very overbearing and even I shudder to think what life with Bob Pataki is like." Arnold sighed as he remembered Helga's living situation. "And living in the Beeper Emporium…"

"Beeper Emporium? They're living in a store?" Miles asked, alarmed to hear such a thing. "Have they always lived there?"

"No, they used to live in their own house but things didn't turn out so good once cell phones became more popular and I assume they no longer could keep their house." Arnold replied, still not totally sure exactly how the family ended up there. "Helga doesn't like to talk about it."

"That doesn't sound like a very nice living situation… I could understand if she was grumpy sometimes. I'd be grumpy if I had to live in a store." Miles said thoughtfully.

Arnold thought about Helga's temperament and how she carried herself. Moving into the emporium didn't make her happy; however her attitude never seemed to change… at least on the surface. She was usually grumpy and scowling about something but never completely silent.

Miles could feel that his son wasn't exactly feeling any better and decided to change it a little. "Life can be hard, Arnold." He started, trying to sound more adults than usual. "It's a lot like poker. You're dealt a hand and you need to make do with what you have. Some people have a good poker face, some people don't. It's possible that Helga has been dealing with something that she doesn't want anyone to know about so she puts up a front and walks around like nothing has changed." He could see his lecture was peaking his sons interest, so he continued. "People like you and I… it's difficult to hide how we actually feel." He said as he smiled and tapped him on the shoulder playfully. "We wear our hearts on our sleeves and everyone around us can tell if something's bugging us because we unconsciously show it. The good thing about us though, is we're able to show others that sometimes it's okay to express yourself when you need to. Have you ever talked to her about her personal life?"

"Sort of… but it's not exactly easy." Arnold admitted, feeling a little silly. "She can be pretty defensive."

"Do you want her to be able to trust you and rely on you?" The parent asked with a smile.

Arnold nodded earnestly. "Yes!" He exclaimed before calming back down and regaining composure. "More than anything, actually but…"

"But it's hard." Miles finished his sentence for him. They exchanged looks of understanding and Miles knew that he had succeeded in his conversation with the boy. "People can be hard. Women, especially. But I know if you care enough about her, and show her that, she'll come around and talk to you." He then looked over at Arnold's clock. "It's still early, why not call her to see if she wants to talk now?"

A feeling of uneasiness suddenly washed over the boy. "Right now?" He asked, unsure of himself.

Miles rose up from the bed and headed to the door. "Yeah! Why not?" He retorted, "Maybe a call from you is just what she needs. Maybe talking to you face to face was too hard and over the phone is easier. You never know unless you try, son."

Arnold watched nervously as his father gave a short laugh and escorted himself out of the room. He could feel his palms begin to sweat. What's wrong with me? Why am I so nervous to call her? He thought as he looked across the room at his phone. I've called her before and it was fine… of course, some of those times she also yelled at me but she's always yelling. He sat there and did is best to convince his nerves to let him stand and walk over to the phone. As he sat there staring at the device next to him, he could feel a ball in his stomach grow. Did something change between the last time he had called her and now? Was it because he was scared of how she might react today specifically? He had no idea but with a large gulp, he grabbed the phone and dialed the number.

A few short rings and he heard someone pick up the phone. "Big Bobs Beepers." He heard the gruff voice of an angry sounding man on the other end. A man he knew to be Mr. Pataki.

Arnold swallowed hard again. "Hello Mr. Pataki, This is Arnold. Is Helga available to talk?" He asked as politely as possible.

The man grumbled something inaudible. "Yeah, I'm sure the girl is here somewhere…" He said before pulling the phone away from his face and shouting. "OLGA ALFRED IS ON THE PHONE"

Pushing back the need to correct the man, Arnold waited patiently while he listened to the jumbled up noises her phone was making while Bob presumably brought the old cordless phone to her door. He heard him bang on a door and yell one more time before her voice echoed into the receiver.

"Fine! I got it!" She yelled before grabbing the phone and slamming her bedroom door. "What is it, Football head?!"

Her voice and regular tone made his heart begin to slow down and his muscles relax. "I never thought I'd ever be happy to hear you call me that but…" He suddenly talked talking and realized that he had no real objective to calling her other than to hear her voice. "Uhh… how are you?"

"How am I?" She questioned with a course attitude. "I was doing just fine until you called and I was forced to look at Bob's stupid face. What do you want anyway?"

Arnold felt his heart begin to sink at her words. Did she really not want to talk to him? It sounded like she hated him all over again, despite him knowing the honest truth about her feelings. He straightened up his back and clenched his muscles, "To tell you the truth, Helga… I just wanted to make sure you were okay." He said with a slow and steady breath, wishing he could see her expression to his words. "You were acting very weird today…. Very distant. Did something happen?" Silence overwhelmed the call but he could still hear her breathing on the other end. "I won't force you to talk about anything you don't want to, I just wanted to let you know that I'm here to listen. Even if it's to talk about nothing."

He could hear her snicker in the background. "Talking about nothing sounds fine for right now." She replied shortly.

With a breath of fresh air, the boy relaxed himself enough to lie backwards on his small red pullout sofa. "That's good…" he said as he exhaled. The topic of nothing was a rather impossible one and Arnold began to roam his mind with possible conversation starters. "The weather was a lot nicer today than it was yesterday."

Another brief silence, "Did you seriously call to talk about the weather?" She asked dully.

Stirring a little to get comfortable, Arnold frowned at the question. Of course he didn't but she was unwilling to talk about what he actually wanted and this was the only thing that he could come up with in such short notice. "No… I'm just working the nothing topic as best as I can."

Helga could hear that he was trying, and the sheer fact that he called was enough to make her heart sore. Admittedly, she felt bad that he had to try so hard but she still wasn't exactly ready to put her frustrations into words for him. "Continue with nothing, I guess."

The two sat in another uncomfortable silence while Arnold thought of nothing to say, literally. He had gotten what he initially wanted; her on the phone with him, but it wasn't exactly enough when she wasn't really willing to talk back. Conversations go two ways and this was currently only a one sided one. "What were you doing before I called?"

"Nothing." She answered, "Laying on my bed and counting the rings in my ceiling. I got to about 57 before you called."

"Interesting." Arnold replied with a small smile. "Do you usually do that in your spare time?"

Helga let out a snort and shuffled around on the receiver. The call wasn't going as planned and Arnold had to think of a new tactic. What can I say to get her to talk to me? He thought as he listened to her small breaths on the other end. He envisioned what she looked like, laying on her bed and counting ring impressions on her ceiling. He knew she no longer slept in the same bedroom he had once been in, in her old house, but since he hadn't seen her new one, he could only vision that one.

"Anyone riveting questions, Arnold? As you know, I'm a very busy person." Helga asked with a sigh of annoyance.

Words from his father suddenly began to replay in his head. The thought of her always having a poker face, the thought of how he was always honest. Maybe if I'm honest with her… she'll be honest with me. Clearing his throat, Arnold finally thought of a new plan. "How about we play a game?"

"Over the phone? What could we possibly play over the phone?!" Her voice sounded angry and impatient, but this only proved to calm Arnold further.

"Not really a traditional type of game… but you could think of it as one." He explained as he tried to find the right words. "You know I want you to be able to trust me so how about you ask me whatever questions you want and I'll answer them truthfully, but in return you have to do the same. Deal?"

The rules of the game were simple enough and Helga knew there were so many things about her beloved that she wanted to know but… the price was also pretty steep. "Anything I want to know?" She asked skeptically, "No matter how personal?"

Her question made the boy feel a little uncomfortable, but he nodded. "Yes…" He confirmed, "But it's going to be a two way street Helga. If I answer for you, then you must answer me as well."

"You drive a hard bargain, Football head but..." She stopped for a moment and considered the terms once more. "You have yourself a deal but I'll start."

Not fully knowing the agreement the boy had signed, Arnold ventured into a serious game of truths.


	18. Chapter 18

Helga cleared her throat and began to search through her minds files. "Any question…?" She wondered out loud over the phone to him, "Any question at all, huh? Hmmm…"

Arnold gave a small aggravated sigh. "Yes Helga, I've said that already."

Resting the phone between her ear and her shoulder, she entwined her fingers for a long arm stretch. "Alright, how about this one?" She started with a smirk, "Why did you really call me? I mean, yeah you said you were worried and I get all that but…" Her voice got hushed a little as a hue of pink adorned her cheeks. Hope began to tingle within her chest. "Was there… possibly… something more?"

Her question was blunt and despite knowing her personality rather well, Arnold was caught off guard. "Something more?" He repeated softly, finding himself a little shy.

"Yes yes! More! You know, as in other reasons besides you worrying about me?" She blurted out with impatience, "I mean you worry about everyone all the time so it's not like this particular time is any special, right?" Although she knew what she wanted to hear, she couldn't help but doubt him as she spoke.

Arnold thought about her words and could hear that her attitude was returning to normal. This made him rather happy but his feeling of shyness continued to grow for a reason he couldn't quite understand. "W-well…" He stammered as he reached up to the back of his neck to scratch the nonexistent irritation that he thought was there. "I was worried about you but I guess there might have been more to it…"

She could hear the hesitation in his voice and it made her heart flutter. "And that is…?"

With a small exhale of defeat, the boy lowered his head. "I just wanted to hear your voice… sorta."

Helga immediately became lightheaded as her emotions swiped her off her feet and on to her bed where she buried her face in her pillow. It seemed like all of the horribleness that had been affecting her all day long had vanished in one instant. He wanted to hear my voice?! She asked herself in her head. Mine?! Helga G. Pataki? I think I might die!... oh wait, probably because I'm suffocating myself, doi. Helga regained her composure and shook off her embarrassment. "R-really?" She asked. "But why? That sounds kind of stupid, even for you Football Head."

Her jab at him hurt worse than intended and the boy frowned. "You think it's stupid that I want to hear your voice?" He asked, silently contemplating his decision of calling her.

She could hear the disappointment in his voice and realized her mistake. "N-no…" She confessed as she pulled her body to roll over on her back. "I mean… probably not for a Football head like yourself. Maybe to us normal people, it might be."

The comeback wasn't exactly what Arnold was hoping for, but he took what he could from it. "When someone you care about is in trouble, I think it's normal for you to want to hear that they're okay above all else." He explained as he pushed his negative feelings aside for her. "And in my case, hearing your voice just gave me some much needed relief, you know since you didn't talk to me all day." Arnold waited for a response from her but when he figured he wasn't getting one, he continued on. "Okay, my turn." He fumbled with a few thoughts in his head before finally opening his mouth to ask, "What happened today that got you so out of it?"

Helga scowled at the question. "Way to just go straight for the goal." She hissed.

"I answered your question so it's only fair, right?" Arnold asked; a little defensive.

She rolled her eyes at his response. "I was just kind of hoping that you would have, ya know, danced around the subject a bit before getting straight to the point…. But if this is what you want…" Helga took in a deep breath and slowly let it out, "Alright."

Arnold listened to her story on the other end and his eyes widened. He knew of how stubborn Mr. Pataki could be, even to his own family but the sheer amount of selfishness he was exhibiting was astounding. "Wow… I'm so sorry to hear that, Helga." Arnold finally said after she finished. "What are you going to do now?"

"What can I do, Arnold?" She asked honestly, "He's my dad. Like he said, he's head of our household and bank account so there isn't anything I actually can do about this! Just like I told Phoebe earlier, I'm just going to have to deal with whatever he does and make the best of it despite it being the most ridiculous plan ever."

A small smile grew on the boy's lips. "I commend you for your optimism, if anything else."

"Optimism?" She asked with a snarl, "Ya right. I maybe making the best of a crappy situation but I'm definitely not optimistic about it. Hell, I could wind up homeless and on the streets if he doesn't pull this plan off like he wants!"

Arnold shuttered at the thought. "Then for your sake I hope he does pull it off. You said he's been talking to some business man about his idea, right? Maybe that business man really can help you guys."

"Or maybe he's a loan shark and plans on throwing us into even further debt, or is working for the mafia and will have us all killed if Bob doesn't put forward his end of the bargain." Helga suggested with a matter of fact tone. "Face it, Football head, there is no optimistic idea that can come from this other than a miracle happens and Bob backing out. Anyway let's move past this, it's my turn."

Arnold could feel a dread wash over him as he heard her thinking of her next question.

"How about this one, what's the most embarrassing thing you've ever done?" She asked with amusement.

The question was a good one and left Arnold sitting and thinking. "I'm not sure… I can't say I've had a lot of embarrassing things happen to me."

"With your adventurous life? I find that hard to believe." She commented skeptically.

Suddenly a time popped into the boys head and his face grew a darker shade of red at the thought. "Well there was this one time I had a crush on our substitute teacher. I actually overheard her talking about her fiancé whose name was also Arnold, thought she was talking about me, and went to her house thinking the dinner she was planning was for us."

Helga's mouth dropped and a fit of laughter came rolling out. "Are you serious?!" She huffed out. "You can't be serious."

Arnold wanted to curl up in a ball and hide himself away forever. "Yes, I'm serious! And you don't have to laugh at me about it. I was barely 9 years old!" He defended himself despite not being sure if she could hear him anyway over her own laughter.

Helga wiped a tear from her eyes "Boy, that's golden! What did she do when you showed up? Tell you to scram?"

"No, She was very polite and let me inside until he came over and I realized I was wrong." He explained with a little fondness of how the woman handled the awkward situation so delicately. "And fortunately for me, no one else ever knew about it except us and Gerald." Thinking of Gerald's woman woo'ing tactics made him laugh, "And now you."

The girl's laughter calmed down as she steadied her breath. "Okay, okay your turn."

"If you could go any place in the world, where would you go?" He asked once he was sure her laughter was over.

Helga placed a finger on her chin and tapped it. "Hmm… Probably Paris."

Her response surprised the young man and he sat up on his sofa. "Paris? Why?"

"Hey buddy, that's two questions!" Helga shouted on the other end, "You can't cheat!"

"You asked me things about my answer and I answered you so it's not cheating, Helga." Arnold debated sternly, "So long as it has to do with your answer it should be okay."

"Fiiiiine." Helga said with a half hearted scowl. Underneath her attitude, the truth was she was actually happy that he was taking an interest in her likes. "Because they say it's the city of love and I figured it would be a good place for me to get inspiration from. Aside from people making goo-goo eyes at each other and sighing longingly at the sights, there is a lot of history there." A daydream flooded into the young woman's head of the two of them standing on top of the Eiffel Tower, holding hands and kissing and her mind became cloudy, "You could come with me." She added unexpectedly before snapping back into reality and regretting it immediately, "I- I mean… If you wanted to."

Arnold blushed at the thought of them taking a trip to Paris together and presumably by themselves. "You want me to go to Paris with you?" He asked, "Are you sure you want me to go with you and not Phoebe?"

Helga shook her head. "Phoebe would enjoy it too but not in the same way I would. Besides, it's the city of love Arnold… not the city of Friendship."

The honesty and softness of her voice caused his heart to skip a beat and Arnold gulped. "Okay… It's your turn."

With a frown at the subject change, Helga shifted on her bed causing it to make a small squeaking noise. "What do you think you'd do if you hadn't found your parents?" She asked, wanting to make him feel just as uncomfortable as she was.

The fluttering in his heart stopped and he could feel it sinking into his chest. "That's not really something I'd like to think about but I can't say I haven't." Arnold started as he furrowed his brow at the unpleasant thought, "Actually I used to think about that a lot before I found them." He confessed, "What if they were never coming back? What if they had died? What if they had started another family somewhere else and didn't need me anymore…?" His voice became dark and depressing as he recalled all of his memories. "Sometimes I would have horrible dreams of finding them just for them to be taken away from me again."

"H-hey… but you do have them back now, right?" Helga chimed in; trying to uplift his spirits again despite the reason for them being down as her fault. "And everything is all sunshine and rainbows now."

"Not exactly…" Arnold replied as he looked towards the door his father had left out of only moments before he called her. "I love them and am very happy I have them back in my life, but it's hard to talk to them sometimes. It's almost like we don't actually know each other really so we do our best to pave the gap between us but… it can be pretty awkward."

"Welcome to having parents, Football head." Helga laughed, "You'll never actually know each other and are always going to be doing your best to communicate with them. Think about it outside the box a little for a moment. They have their generation, just like we do, just like your grandparents do. What we like, they might find weird and what they like we might find stupid. They had different experiences than us so their advice may not be the best but at least they try, right?"

Flashbacks of his father's pep talk from earlier resonated within him as she spoke and he nodded. He could feel a sense of relaxation wash over him as he focused on her words. "Yeah… You're right." He said in a dreamy tone.

His voice caused Helga to blush. She couldn't help but imagine what he looked like right now as he sit on the phone with her. Where was he sitting? Had he changed clothes? Had he showered yet? Did he still use that same shampoo…?

"Helga?" His voice called out to her, breaking her out of her trance.

"Y-yeah?" Her voice responded, a little broken with hesitation.

"Thank you." Arnold said warmly as a wide grin grew across his face. "You know, you really do have a way with words sometimes."

Becoming flustered with yet another compliment from him, Helga's face turned beet red. "Sh-shut up and ask your stupid question already, geez!"

Arnold chuckled and began to think up another question. If they were going to play this game, it would go one of two ways: Meaningful and deep or simple and sweet. He could ask her anything in the world, so what would be important to know?

The line got silent and Helga couldn't help but become nervous. "A-any day now! Hello? Earth to Football head!"

"If you could have anything in the world, what would it be?" He asked suddenly the moment she had finished her sentence.

"Anything?" She asked, "You mean like physical object or anything, anything?"

"Either or." Arnold clarified, hoping it was the latter.

"A million dollars sounds pretty good." Helga laughed, thinking of all the things she could do with that money.

With a small laugh, Arnold figured that she would have responded in that sort of way. "But what would you do with that million dollars? And before you interrupt me with this being a second question- obviously you'd be using that money to get the thing you wanted, right?"

Helga growled and crossed her legs. "How do you know I'd want to spend it? How do you know I don't want to just shower in it and call it a day? Flaunt my money and laugh in people's faces?"

"I don't, but somehow I don't think that's why you'd want the money Helga." Arnold retorted.

"So now you think you know me, huh? Gonna write my biography now?" Helga said with a sarcastic tone, hoping to veer him off of the topic.

"I think I know you pretty well." He replied with confidence in his voice. "In fact…" Arnold began to think back on their past up until now. He could feel himself becoming entranced once more and his relaxation deepened further. "I sorta think… I've always known you."

"Huh?" Helga cocked and eyebrow and straightened herself up for better concentration. "You're not making any sense." Her heart began to pound as anticipation of his next words built up in her chest. Had he always seen through her schemes? Even in the beginning? Did he know she had always been following his every move, making shrines to him and worshiping the very ground he walked on before she blurted it out in his face a few years back?

Arnold leaned back on his sofa listened to his heartbeat as it echoed through him like a song he had never heard before. Words were getting the better of him and he wished he could just show her how he felt instead of explaining it. "It just…" He started; his angst coming through, "I've always felt that you were never really the you that you showed. Despite all the bullying and ridicule that you put us through, mostly me, it was like I always knew that deep down you were someone different." Arnold interrupted his own explanation with a chuckle as he blushed and looked down at his floor. "I know I've told you this before but you're amazing and I think I've always known that, even when I didn't."

Hearing his heart felt explanation gave the girl mixed emotions. On one hand, she was touched and on the verge of passing out of just pure bliss but on the other, complete guilt that he was pouring his soul out to her and all she could do was avoid his direct questions in order to protect herself. Protect herself from what, exactly? Her heart became heavy once she remembered his original question and she knew what she had to do. "Arnold…" Her voice became the softest thing he had ever heard, "I already have the one thing I've always wanted and you know that… but if there was anything else it would probably be to just have my home back." She knew it was time to pay him back with her own heartfelt words, "I-I've… never really had a home really, so it's hard to say that I want it back but… I want to live in our house again where we all have our own rooms, a real kitchen, a real bathroom with a shower inside of it. A place where there is actual room for my things instead of them inside boxes on top of boxes down in a musty old basement filled with bugs and gunk." Helga could feel her heart sink lower as she bared her soul to him, and she sighed. "I know going back in time is impossible, but I want my family not to be broke anymore. I want to be comfortable again and know that I'll have a bed to sleep in tomorrow."

Clenching his fists at her words, Arnold held back his own frustrations as he listened patiently. Memories of a dream he had of her began to flicker in his mind and he could finally see what it meant. Where Helga was now, was practically jail to her. "I'm… I'm sorry." He finally breathed out.

"Don't be." Helga replied with a faint smile that he couldn't see. "I paid my debt from the question I asked earlier." The girl cleared her throat and her mind of all the feelings she had let come over her and forced her attention back on the game at hand. "It's my turn anyway and I'll give you the same question. If you could have anything you want, what would it be?"

"Honestly?" Arnold replied with a surprised squeak in his voice.

"Well Doi! I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want an answer, paste-for-brains!" She spat back, her voice returning to its usual harshness.

With a gulp, Arnold knew he had no choice. "Honestly if I could have anything in the world, it would be the ability to give you your home back." Hearing his own words made him cringe but he continued, "I've failed in trying… though."

Helga shook her head at his dumb words. "No, you haven't. That big sale we had came from your stupid plan of handing out fliers in some random nearby town. If it hadn't been for that, then we wouldn't have come into money." She explained; smoothing her voice back out into a more comforting one. "We also wouldn't have had the sales we got from that whole hipster scene if it hadn't been for your idea to model the beepers and post them online. You've helped me a lot, Arnold. Don't discredit yourself."

Her words got through to him, however his feelings remained unchanged. "I just wish I could do more."

Helga scowled. "Stop being such a Football head! Besides giving me what I want, what else do you want?"

A thought lingered in his mind, but shyness overwhelmed him. "I- I…"

"Ugh," Helga whined in his ear, "Just forget it! If it's that hard of a question I'll just change it."

"If I could have anything I want right now…" Arnold shut his eyes tightly and pressed on, "It would be…"

"It would be…?" She insisted impatiently with a hint of excitement.

"I want to see you."

The words were put so blunt and unexpected, it left both parties stunned.

"You…" Helga forced out with an uncomfortable pause, "want to… see me?"

Arnold nodded earnestly, "I do." He confessed. "I don't know why but…" He placed his hand on his beating heart, "Something inside me tells me that, that's my answer."

The hair on the back of Helga's neck stood up as an electric emotion surged up her spine and into her brain, causing her body to feel like it was melting into the bed. Unconsciously, she let out a longing sigh and dropped the phone to her side.

"Helga?" She heard his voice call out to her from the bulky cordless phone that lay inches from her head. He wants to see me! He wants to see me! He wants to see ME? "Helga? Are you still there?" He asked again, his voice becoming a little more worrisome than before. Is he serious?!

She looked at the phone and casually picked it up and placed it back on her ear. "Why on earth would you want to see ME?" She shouted into the phone, full of an unpredictable rage. "You're joking, right?! I mean, you could have anything in the world, Arnold. Literally ANYTHING and you want to see ME?"

The boy became a little offended at her suggestion. "Why are you so mad? Is that a bad thing?" He questioned; confused about the change of atmosphere between them.

Helga flustered a bit on her side, both at his question but mostly at herself. She was doing her best to show him her genuine side but the vulnerable feeling that he was making her feel had a tendency to make her doubt everything from being real to only being too good to be true. Reverting back to her usual angry self was always just easier than expressing how she really felt.

Arnold could hear her still on the line, but her lack of response, especially after her outburst became concerning. "Helga?" He called out to her quietly, thinking about what he could have said that possibly triggered her anger.

"You really want to see me?" She mumbled out in response, almost as a growl.

"If… that's okay with you." Arnold answered, feeling as if he was now walking on eggshells.

Helga sighed and pushed back her negative thoughts and feelings to begin focusing on better ones; the ones she should be letting herself feel in the first place. She glanced over at her alarm clock. "It's after 6pm. If I left now, Big Bob would be suspicious and I'd be forced to interact with him which is the last thing I want to do right now."

Arnold could hear the uncertainty in her voice and frowned. Everyone would be gathered in his house soon enough for dinner which also wouldn't be optimal for her visiting, especially if she didn't want to interact with people much. "Yeah… and the boarders can be pretty rough around dinner time too."

Suddenly the lights began to flicker in Helga's room. "What the…?" She wondered as she jumped off her bed to open her bedroom door.

"Something happen?" The young man asked on the other line.

The lights flickered in the hallway and suddenly without warning; the power went out in the whole building leaving the phone line dead.

Helga looked down at the phone with disappointment before tossing it over to her bed and looking around the store. She couldn't hear anything suspicious going on, nor did she hear loud winds outside that could have knocked a power line down. "Crimity! What's going on now?!" She shouted, hoping someone in ear shot would respond with something helpful.

"Dang Blasted!" She heard her father yell in the distance before a few loud bangs.

Growling, Helga scoured the dark building in search for him. "What did you do, Bob?!" She called out to him.

A few more loud bangs could be heard, followed by more cursing. "Stupid faulty wiring!" He yelled back before stomping down the hallway in attitude, almost into his daughter. "Sorry girl, didn't see you there."

Helga took a step back and crossed her arms. "Great so now we have no power. What else could go wrong?!"

Bob scratched the back of his head and grunted. "Actually… our power was shut off weeks ago. I had a buddy of mine handle something's so we could get it back free of charge."

"So what you're saying is… we've been stealing it?" She asked, knowing full well she was right.

"Sometime you gotta cheat to win, girl!" Bob boasted before continuing on down the hallway into a closet. "Now where are those candles…?"

"Why not call your buddy to fix this? And where's Miriam?" The absence of her mother was strange given she was normally bumping around in the kitchen by now.

"Huh? I don't know, something about going to the store." Bob replied as he handed a bag out to her. "Here- hold this for me, will ya?"

The bag was plopped in the girl's hands nonchalantly and weighed Helga down immediately as it was a lot heavier than she had expected. "What's in this?"

"Just a few tools I'll need for a project… now where are those blasted candles?!" Bob answered before yelling once more as he hustled through the closet.

Rolling her eyes at her father, Helga placed the heavy bag of tools down and grabbed her coat. Arnold wanted to see her and now it wasn't like she had anything better to do, or avoid. Anything is better than being here right now, alone with Bob in the dark! She thought as she grabbed her coat and flipped the doors welcome sign to "closed". Not like it matters anyway… It will be closed for good soon enough.

Everyone sat around the large dining table as the bowls of food started to be passed around to each individual. The room smelt highly of unique and foreign spices which tingled the nose of everyone there, including Arnold.

"What is this stuff?" Oscar asked as he held his nose. "Are you sure it is safe to eat?"

"Are you really refusing free food Oscar?" Ernie asked as he took a bowl full of rice. "It's not like your chipping in or anything."

Stella smiled as she spooned a large helping of the mystery food on to the complaining man's plate. "It's a special kind of curry I learned to make while helping some natives of Indonesia." She explained softly before turning to Ernie and giving him his own portion. "It has many herbs that help the blood flow as well as headaches!"

"Yeah and we all know that will come in handy, especially with Oscar around." Phil laughed as he jabbed his young grandson in the side. The boys lack of response troubled the man and he gave him a puzzled look. "Everything okay?"

Arnold poked his curry with a spoon before turning to his elder with a forced smile. "Yeah, everything's okay Grandpa. Just got some stuff on my mind." He grabbed a spoonful of the vegetable filled concoction and blew on it a few times before popping it in his mouth. It tasted a lot better than it smelled and for that he was grateful.

"How's the food, Son?" Miles asked him with a warm smile before bending down and whispering in his ear. "I wasn't too sure of it at first too but your mother swears by it." Feeling a death glare coming from across the room, Miles shivered and straightened up before sitting down and helping himself to his own plate.

"Why, this is absolutely divine Stella!" Gerty gasped as she began to eat her plate.

Stella smiled at her mother in law and sat down next to her. "Thank you! But don't thank me, thank the natives that taught me the recipe." She replied humbly. "You'd be amazed at what simple spices can really do to the body in terms of health."

"Speaking of health," Phil turned to his young grandson again, "I heard you started that new class of yours Shortman! How's that going for ya?"

Surprised a little at first by his grandpa knowing, Arnold then remembered that a notice had went out to all the parents in case they wanted their child withdrew from the class. He ate a few more spoonfuls of his food before replying. "It's pretty interesting. They've explained a little on what the class is going to be about and the other day we started learning about how drugs have negative effects on the body."

"Drugs?" Mr. Hyunh said, clearly startled. "Drugs are very bad, Arnold. Stay away from them!"

"Oh no, don't worry Mr. Hyunh. I am." Arnold replied with a reassuring smile, in order to let the man continue his meal.

"Good!" The Vietnamese man smiled back, "You are a smart boy."

Phil scratched his long chin in thought, "Mmm I suppose it's good to start learning about dangerous stuff like that as soon as possible. Kids now days seem to be more curious than ever about mind altering substances! Why I read an article just the other day about kids joining gang wars and doing all sorts of bad things!" His eyes went wide and he pointed his spoon at his grandson, "Don't you go joining no gang wars either, Arnold." He stared at him serious at first, before his face broke into a wide smile and tilted his head back with a laugh. "Ah who am I kidding? I know you're a smart kid."

Arnold laughed back, "Thanks Grandpa."

"I remember back in my day, no one knew drugs were bad!" Phil continued on as the table of listeners ate their food, "Everyone did them! In fact, some were a house hold staple like sugar or flour! Right Pookie?"

The old woman nodded, "Oh yes! You could even order pretty little jars from catalogs for them." She remembered fondly, "They were even considered miracles drugs at one point that doctors believed could cure any pain but that's exactly how we found out that they were no miracle and people started to get hooked on them." She then shook her head as she recalled such a tragic time. "And people are still hooked on them today, sadly. It's a shame that something believed to be life saving could end so many futures for so many people."

Arnold's eyes turned wide as he listened to his grandparent's recollection of the past. "That's terrible, why don't they just get rid of them then?"

Phil shook his head, "That's the big question, isn't it Arnold? Its why they're illegal and you go to jail for having it… but people find ways…"

Gerty's face turned sour. "It's the government that lets it continue!" She spat out, "They make too much money treating those with addiction and side effects to completely halt production even if it is done behind the scenes! Why would they really want to get rid of something that's so profitable? Monsters in business suits…"

"Pookie… calm down and eat your food." Phil scolded her softly with a pat on the shoulder.

Gerty pulled her shoulder away from the man and pointed her spoon in the air as if holding a torch. "You cannot silence me! Down with Big Business! Down with corporate mongrels who benefit off the suffering of others!"

"Yes, Yes Pookie!" He said sternly before swiping the spoon from her hand and sitting her down, "Not right now though, we're all trying to enjoy this nice dinner with our family." He replied sweetly as he looked over his bloodline.

"Awww yes! We're family!" Oscar replied charmingly before placing his arm over Ernie just to be pushed away.

"Get off me, ya loser!" Ernie shouted.

Arnold chuckled at the sight, but his grandmother's words still lingered cautiously in his mind. Despite how eccentric she could be, what she stood up for always meant a lot to her and was always for the good of the people. He was interested in hearing more of what she had to say, but knew that now wasn't the time to continue on that topic.

"What else are you learning about in that new class of yours, dear?" Stella warmly asked after waiting for everyone to settle down.

"We're gonna be taught about our bodies and how they function, but we haven't really touched upon that yet." The young man replied with interest.

"The human body can be pretty cool Arnold, so be sure to take notes and if you have any questions we'll be happy to help." The Mother beamed before nudging her husband, "Right?"

The nudge had caught him off guard, causing him to choke on his food a little but Miles quickly recovered and nodded. "Yeah! Totally! Real cool!" He forced out with a wince, still trying to hold back further coughs.

Arnold laughed nervously, remembering how awkward his dad could be on the topic, "S-sure."

It wasn't long before everyone was finished with their food as well as their casual conversations. Arnold quickly put his dishes in the sink and hurried back upstairs to try and call Helga again to make sure everything was okay. He dialed her number, "I'm sorry, but the number you've called cannot be reached at this time. Please check that you have dialed correctly and try your call again later. Thank you." The boy frowned and placed his phone back down.

"I wonder what happened?" He thought out loud as he went over to his bed to sit. The bed gave a little bounce as he dropped his body on it, and he sighed. "And we were actually getting somewhere too…"

Arnold looked up into his skylight windows and saw it was finally dark. The moon hid behind many clouds but he could still see the luminous light glow from behind them. Was it really that weird to want to see her as a wish? He still couldn't figure out exactly why she got so angry at his answer, but then again it was Helga and her go to emotion always seemed to be something loud and angry.

Looking around his room in thought, Arnold noticed his backpack and suddenly a harsh realization came to mind. "I still haven't done my math homework!" He whispered to himself before promptly getting up, fetching the bag and rummaging through it to find his textbook along with the worksheet he had placed inside of it to bookmark where the lesson was for reference. It wasn't like him to forget school work, but then again… Arnold didn't really feel like he was the same anymore either.

He placed the thick and heavy book down on his desk with a soft thump before cracking it open and looking at its contents. As he looked at the information, the young man grew annoyed at himself. He hadn't really been paying attention in class as of late and couldn't recall learning any of this. All of the equations seemed foreign. "What's wrong with me?" He asked himself as he slumped his back against the chair. "I've always been pretty good at math, I even helped grandpa with it back when he needed to graduate elementary school…" He took his homework and turned it over a few times, "None of this seems familiar at all. Maybe I should just call Gerald and-"

TAP TAP TAP… Suddenly a noise interrupted his sentence. He turned around to see what it was, but noticed nothing out of the ordinary. Tilting his head to the side in confusion, he gave up and turned back to his paper. TAP TAP TAP… went the noise again but this time even louder. Arnold swung his chair around but still saw nothing.

TAP TAP… BANG BANG BANG! Arnold looked up as the noise got louder and noticed a silhouette of something on his skylight. He sprung from his chair and rushed over to it for a better look and above him stood the wish that had been granted. She looked annoyed and motioned to him to open the window with a show of her arms.

Grinning at his sight, Arnold climbed up and pushed the window open. A sharp chill breeze greeted him as well as a strong arm that pulled him up.

"Crimity! Were you day dreaming or what?" She shouted at him before letting go of his arm and placing her hands on her hips.

The young man couldn't help but smile at her, despite her clear irritation. "Sorry, Helga. I was just looking over our math homework." He explained. "What happened to our call earlier? Why did you hang up and why won't my calls go through?"

Helga rolled her eyes. "Because Bob the Brilliant hasn't paid the electric bill in God knows how long and now we have no power, Doi!" She said sarcastically, "Apparently the only reason we've had power until now is because his friend did some illegal wiring and that got busted somehow."

"Illegal wiring?" Arnold asked even though he heard her clearly.

"Yeah, are there worms in your ears or something? Illegal wiring!" Helga scowled and sighed. "Not like either of us should be surprised."

Arnold became worried. "Did he get caught? Is he going to go to jail now?!" He asked hurriedly but was hushed by a cold hand over his mouth.

"Quiet down, will ya?" She said quietly, "Do your neighbors really need to know my business?!" Helga lifted her hand off of his mouth and saw his sad expression. "I don't know if he got caught but I doubt it. Even if he did, he knows how to talk his way out of things pretty easily so don't look at me like that."

"But Helga-"

"Yeah, yeah I get it, you're worried!" Helga rushed to cut him off. Her face became soft and she began to rub the side of her arm. "You don't have to worry so much Arnoldo, I'm fine." She could see that he wasn't convinced and stopped rubbing. "Really…"

With a sigh, he nodded. "Alright." He took in a deep breath to calm his nerves and looked her over carefully. She seemed a lot better than when he saw her at school as well as sporting her usual attitude. The soft pale moonlight glistened on her skin and highlighted some of her features and he couldn't help but stare a little. He thought back to his dream of her again and realized something he hadn't before.  
It was almost like a premonition… He thought as his eyes left her figure and to the sky. She may not be wearing the dress and Bob may not be a giant head shouting to her from the sky but… He looked at her again, causing her to stand there awkwardly as he fought his mind. The air about her is the same as well as the situation, kinda…

"You alright there, Football head?" Helga asked, breaking his mental back and forth. "You're even more spacier than usual and that's saying something."

Arnold felt strange at the thought of him dreaming something from the future but shook it off. There has to be a reason for it… He continued to think as he recalled more of the dream in bits and pieces. She was holding her locket and talking to it but he couldn't hear what she had said. He closed his eyes a little to focus better but to no avail. Maybe what she said didn't matter… think Arnold, why does this seem important?

"Arnold?" She called out to him again, however he was too far in thought.

Look at the situation better… He told himself in his mind, She had her locket… of me. She was talking to it but I couldn't hear. Her face… He then focused more on her face. It was solemn but longing, calm but troubled…

"Arnold…?" Helga called out to him again, this time louder.

Hearing his name caused him to look up at her. He searched her face as he continued his deliberation. He thought back to how she looked at school and how she looked now. Then something sparked inside of his brain that he couldn't quite make out.

"Hey! Arnold!" She shouted this time, causing him to snap back into reality.

"Huh?!" He replied in shock; then blinked a few times.

Helga waved her hand in front of his face and gave him a questioning look. "What's wrong with you? You said you wanted to see me and here I am, and what do you do? Stare off into space and waste my time!" She then pointed her thumb over towards his fire escape, "Do you want me to leave? Because I didn't come here to talk to myself, bucko."

"No, no!" Arnold said as he reached out to her, "Sorry Helga, don't leave."

She placed her hands back on her hips and scowled. "Why did you want to see me so bad? I don't get it."

Her question sparked the thought in his mind once more. "Why did you come?" He asked her plainly.

The question seemed odd to her and she wasn't sure if she was to be offended or concerned. "What do you mean, why did I come?" She asked then straightened her back, "I came because it was your one wish if you could have anything! Sheesh, I thought that was obvious?" Her voice came casual but snarky as she pointed her high and mighty expression down at him.

The boy heard her reason but felt it was lacking something. "Would you still have come if your power didn't go out?" He asked honestly, his eyes softening.

His half lidded gaze caused her front to crumble and her eyes darted away from his. "M-maybe. Heck, I don't know the future. Maybe I would have, maybe I wouldn't have!" She replied, a little hesitant. "What matters is I am here. Right here, right now." Helga finished with a stubborn huff.

The response still wasn't helping the young man unravel his inner brain workings and he shook his head. It's like my brain is trying to tell me something and… I just can't figure out what! What is it? The answer is right in front of me! Arnold growled to himself internally. He wasn't exactly sure why the dream and reality were nagging at him but what he was sure of was that it was exhausting trying to decipher it all. Giving himself a little break, the boy cleared his head of the puzzle and sighed softly. "Whatever you say, Helga." He said with a small smile before looking around at their surroundings. There were still a few chairs outside from when his family had a cookout over the summer and he motioned over to them. "Want to sit down?"

"It's about time you asked!" Helga snapped at him, "Yes I would love to sit down after hiking all the way up to your house, climbing your fire escape and standing here forever while you space out into oblivion."

The two of them walked over to the flimsy plastic chairs and sat down. The night was quiet but they could still hear cars and dogs barking in the distance. It was familiar but serene.

"Nice night out tonight, isn't it?" Arnold asked as he gave a curious look to his companion.

Helga slumped in her chair and twirled her finger sarcastically "Real romantic, aren't you?"

He could see that she was in some sort of mood now, possibly because of him, and accepted it. "I can be sometimes." He smirked playfully. "I'd like to think so anyway."

With a heavy and overly dramatic sigh, Helga glared over at him. She could see his smile and optimism and could feel her heart giving way. He was so innocent, so unknowing, so naïve. He couldn't even begin to know how she felt or exactly why she felt the way she did but it wasn't his fault. Let's just relax, Helga ol' girl and enjoy this moment while you can? She asked herself. She pulled her sight away from the boy and looked back over the horizon. He's right, despite everything it is a perfectly nice night out and what better way to enjoy it than with the man of your dreams? Stop acting, relax and go with the flow… She told herself.

Helga felt her heart start to thump at the thought of them spending a romantic evening together, just the two of them on top of his boarding house. The brisk night suddenly turned a little warmer as her skin heated up. "Soooo…" She started out slowly, "Is this what you had in mind?"

Arnold peered over at her at the question and shrugged. "To be honest, I didn't really have anything in mind other than seeing you."

Feeling the heat peak in her cheeks and his eyes on her, Helga's gaze remained out in front of them to the open city. "Is that right?" She asked, unable to contain herself from fidgeting nervously in her seat, causing it to squeak and rattle with every little move she made. "I-I… figured m-maybe there was a little bit more… to your wish…" She said, drawing out her sentence and peaking over at him to see his expression. He seemed so calm; so normal. Was it only her that felt anxious about this whole thing?

The nagging question still played in Arnold's mind as he looked at her from the side. Helga was perplexing to him. An enigma wrapped with a pink bow. Indeed, he did feel calm but it was different yet familiar. It was a feeling he was becoming accustomed to but only one he got when he was around her. "Maybe there is…" He wondered out loud to answer her question then turned to the city. His own actions and feelings were all becoming just as mystifying as her.

Not wanting to interrupt what he might say, Helga stayed quiet and gulped. Many thoughts raced through her head.

Noticing that their chairs were further apart than he thought, Arnold stood up and pushed his closer to hers and sat back down. Placing his hand on his arm rest next to hers, he could feel her body heat emanating off her skin. Just what about her always drew him in? "You know…" He started, pacing himself to keep up with his mind, "A lot of things have happened to us… over the years. Not just us but everyone of our friends too. I guess change is just a part of growing up, huh?" He asked turning to her again with a kind smile.

Confused on what this had to do with her question, Helga just decided to roll with it to see where this would go. "Well yeah, people have to change in order to grow, what's your point?"

"I guess what I'm trying to say is…" Arnold then gave in to his urge and placed his hand on top of hers. The sensation of their body heat colliding gave the young man a powerful calm that washed over him and seeped into his brain, causing no sense of caution. "I've changed… in ways I don't even understand yet, and it's… sorta scary sometimes." He confessed. "But at the same time…" He continued and brushed his thumb up against the soft texture of the back of her hand, "it's comforting."

"It's… comforting?" She asked, looking up at him curiously.

Arnold nodded and drew himself into her eyes. "Yeah." He breathed out. "I wouldn't have ever thought years ago that I'd find myself here… with you… like this." He smiled, "And I wouldn't have ever imagined how it would make me feel, either."

Finding herself unusually hopeful, Helga let herself get drawn into his words. "And how does… it make you feel, Arnold?"

"Happy." He replied simply and without hesitation. "And not just happy-happy but… a different kind of happy. A kind of happy I had never experienced up until now and one that I only seem to experience with you." Arnold was beginning to feel relieved as he talked and knew it was the right thing to do. "It's like everything is new," He continued, "It's like I can just be me… does that make sense?"

The dreamy look in his eyes, as well as his touch on her skin was sending her body to mush but her brain perfectly intact as she took all of his words in. Was he saying what she thought he was saying? "I guess so."

"I've felt all sorts of things in my life but up until now… nothing quite like this. It's just hard to explain… yet so simple." Arnold said as he continued to rub her hand. "This is why I wanted to see you… I think."

"You think?" Helga asked; her eyes wide and full of desperation.

Arnold nodded. "Yeah, I think so. I just hated seeing you so distant and withdrawn today and it scared me, Helga. All I kept thinking was 'is she okay?' and when you wouldn't talk to me? I didn't know what to do."

Helga hung her head in guilt. "I can't exactly control how I feel, you know." She said weakly. "Life just happens and I react the way I do. I can't help it."

"I know what you mean but-"

"No!" Helga interrupted loudly and full of vivid emotion. "You don't know, Arnold and that's the problem!" An overwhelming need to finally open up to him surged through Helga's veins. "You don't know what it's like to be me!" She said as she snatched her hand away from him. "I can tell you what goes on here and there but it's not the same as you actually having to be there! You've always had people who love and care about you, surrounding you at every corner of life and I haven't! I have a lousy drunk mom, an over controlling abusive dad and a perfect do-no-wrong sister. I have a constant image I must uphold at home and at school and the only light I have at the end of my tunnel is you!"

Suddenly a light flickered in Arnolds head and everything that had been nagging at him since she showed up, came into vision and his eyes widened.

Helga grabbed his hand with both of hers and looked deeply into his eyes with all of her emotions. "It's so difficult opening up and- and talking about crap like this because of how frustrating- no, painful it is to talk about!"

"But Helga-" Arnold started but was shushed by a shaking finger to his lips.

"No… No 'but Helga' right now… okay?" She asked wearily, "You want me to talk? I'm talking and I'll only keep talking if I know you're listening. Got it?"

Arnold swallowed hard and nodded to let her continue.

"Now that you know me, and know the secret I've been harboring for nearly my entire life, have you ever stopped to wonder why? Has your Football shaped brain ever really tried to wrap itself around that? Let me save you the trouble and just tell you. You've always been the one thing in my life that has kept me going, the light at the end of my tunnel, the sun after a hurricane of crap that falls on me through life. You've been my inspiration to go on for as long as I can remember!" Helga explained, taking her finger off his soft desirable lips and placing her hand back down on his hand to firmly grasp. "You're everything I'm not. You're optimistic and helpful, cheerful and always doing the right thing. You've shown me that the world isn't as dark and dreary as it always appears to be. You don't know what it's like to never be seen by the people who're supposed to love you, Arnold. To have your name forgotten- heck, your whole EXISTENCE forgotten until it's convenient for them. I get told to 'Do better' and to be someone I'm not just so I can get a little ounce of attention. Do you know who I've never had to fight to notice me?"

Arnold continued to stay silent, but shook his head.

"You, Arnold." She answered. "Sure, you noticed me for the most part because I demanded attention by forcing it down your throat in a mean way but from the beginning you noticed me even without that. I…" she suddenly stopped and her voice cracked, "I don't know where I'd be right now in life right now, if I'd be alive today if it wasn't for that little pre-school boy and his umbrella, sheltering me from the cold rain that poured down upon me that morning." Her lip started to quiver as she held back the dramatic wave of emotions that was crashing down upon her and pulling her out to sea. "And now? Now I'm being forced to deal with the fact that even though you've helped me way beyond what you should be capable, my ignorant pigheaded father is willing to throw it all away for his pride."

With one quick motion, Arnold pulled one of his hands out from hers and placed it on her cheek. "Forgive me for interrupting when you told me not to but even if he does do all that… I'll find a way to help again, Helga. There is always a way! You just have to look for it!"

"See?" Helga nodded, "This is the optimism you have that pulls everyone through and part of that light that I'm talking about… but what if there isn't anything you can do?" She asked, placing her hand on top of the one on her cheek and closing her eyes, letting a single tear drop roll down. "Not everything can be solved with your positive outlook! Sometimes bad things just happen and there isn't anything you can do about it! Do you know what will happen if my dad completely fails and we become homeless, Arnold?"

The boy shook his head again and urged her to continue with his sad eyes.

Helga swallowed her tears, "It means we'll probably be moved far far away from each other and maybe never see each other again."

"I-I don't understand…" Arnold said, searching her eyes for answers.

"It means we'll probably all be shipped back to live with my Hungarian grandfather- the actual head of the Pataki family!" She cried out, letting a stream of tears finally flood her eyes. "And he's worse than Bob will ever be, Arnold. He's who Bob fears letting down; the part that drives his stubbornness into what we all see today."

The information that she was delivering to him was simply too much to accept in that one moment. He heard the words, he understood the words yet everything seemed impossible to comprehend. This can't be happening… can it? He asked himself as he stared into the pale blue eyes of his girlfriend. There won't be anything I can do? She'll be taken away forever… all these feelings, those eyes… I'll never be able to see them again?

"Pataki's are told to sweep everything under the rug, bottle up our feelings and push through and succeed." Helga explained as she used her palm to wipe away the tears that escaped the jail that had been holding them for so long, "Of course, Olga is the exception to the bottling up part as she's nothing but a never ending waterfall of tears at least 80% of the time but…" She let out a weak laugh to continue, "This ideology has been pounded into my head since I was born. That, plus the fact I don't even exist in that family unless I can succeed 100% of the time? Where do you think I'd be today if I hadn't met you? Do you realize the horrors I'll have to face if Bob fails? The tunnel never ends…"

"Then I'll make it end!" Arnold insisted, "Surely there has to be some way for you to stay if they end up leaving!"

Another weak laugh left her lips as she shook her head. "Oh my dear, sweet Arnold… Sometimes you're optimism hurts, you know?"

"I'm serious, Helga!" He pleaded; letting go of her cheek and grabbing onto her shoulders. "You can't…" He forced out with a high pitched broken voice, "You can't leave…"

"Arnold, we're twelve years old. I don't have a choice in the matter comes time." She stated simply with a light but painful heart. "But don't worry about me; I'm sure I'll continue to move along like I usually do…"

Listening to her truths and allowing her to open up was nothing like Arnold had expected and he wasn't even sure if this was what he wanted anymore. Was ignorance really bliss? To see someone he cared about so much have to go through this agony? His heart squeezed and hurt like something he had never felt before in his life. The only thing he could compare it to was the thought of his parents being dead and never found. "I don't care what you say Helga, I will do something…. I have to."

A small sad smile graced her lips. Her waterworks had finally ended and she felt freed of the bonds that she once held inside, however they were replaced with guilt. "This was part of the reason I didn't want to open up to you…"

"Huh? What do you mean?" He asked, concerned by her words.

"I didn't want you to have to carry the burden of my life as well as your own and everyone else." She said as she rose up from her seat and faced him with a stern face. "No one needs to carry my burdens except me."

"Helga…" Arnold forced out but no other words followed. Where did that once calm and serene feeling go?

"It's the Pataki way, Arnold. Our business is our own and we don't need anyone's pity." She quoted with her fingers, then sneering away at the thought of her father. "That aside… The last thing I want to do is make your life painful just because mine is."

"But it's my job as your boyfriend to take that pain away… right?" Arnold suggested with a small inquisitive smile. He stood up and grabbed her hands once more. "This just means I can finally fulfill my end of our relationship."

"W-what do you mean?" Helga asked, skeptical and suspicious.

"Helga you just explained to me that I have been the only thing in your life pushing you forward, right?" He asked; not waiting for an answer to continue, "You have gone out of your way to help me countless times and all because I am this light at the end of your tunnel. Let me repay the debt and not because I have to but because I want to. I didn't agree to become your boyfriend just to hold your hand when we walk down the street… I did it because I wanted to be part of your life and not just the part you want me to see." He could see that she still wasn't accepting anything he was saying, but he didn't falter. "Look, I'm not going to stand here and pretend to know what I'm doing because I don't and quite frankly… neither do you. Neither of us know the future and neither of us should assume the worst just because it's a possibility… You wanted me to accept your feelings after all these years, right?" He asked and watched her eyes turn wide with realization. "So now it's time you accept mine. I may not know all of your pain and suffering or your struggles but… I want to. Loving someone doesn't mean hiding the ugly truth from them for their sake… it means trusting them to accept that ugly truth and move forward beyond it and that's not something I think I know, it's something I do know." With utmost certainty, Arnold spoke to her soul and meant every word, "If you truly love me like you insist you do… then give me the same respect."

"This-s isn't something you should j-joke about, Arnold." Helga stammered as her face turned red. "You shouldn't say things like this unless you're s-s-serious…"

Arnold's expression turned as stern as he could. "You don't believe me?" He challenged.

"I-I didn't s-say that it's j-just…" She continued to stutter as her world began to turn around her.

"Fine then," He sighed as he let go of her hands, "If you don't believe my words then my actions are gonna have to count for themselves…"

"W-what are you-"

But before she could finish her question, Helga was stopped by the sudden force of her shirt being grabbed and her body pulled forward to make contact with his own. In the most unbelievable moment in her life, Helga was stopped short by the most passionate kiss in her entire young life as Arnold copied her own dramatic confession from 2 years ago and played it back to her in his own way. She eagerly accepted his show of affection and melted within his strong grip. Her dreams had finally fully come true and he was proving it to her with everything he had.

After the point had been made, Arnold released her shirt and traveled his hands up to her face and caressed her cheeks lovingly before backing away. He looked into her eyes and gave her a warm reassuring smile. "Through all the hardships that await us in the future… Helga, let me stand by you and protect you in any way I can. Let me pay back the love you've shown me with the love I want to show you."

Her eyes welled up once more and she closed them with a smile, letting the small dream flow down her face. "A-are you sure?" She asked quietly.

"Yes…" He said with a small chuckle as he wiped her tears away, "Now stop crying and look at me… please?"

His voice was smooth like silk and she couldn't help but comply. She opened her eyes again but could still feel her emotions overwhelming her.

Arnold's smile grew larger and he entwined his fingers with hers, causing her forehead to come down and touch his own in a sense of bonding. "Will you accept my feelings?"

Helga sniffled in response and nodded her head against his gently.

"Good… I'm glad." He chuckled again.

After a quick look at a clock and realizing just how late it was getting and on a school night, Arnold escorted Helga off his fire escape and decided to secretly walk her home.

"I don't get why I can't just stay here tonight! Not like anyone will know I'm gone anyway…" Helga scowled as they made their way in the direction of the beeper emporium.

"Because I'll have no way to explain to my parents or grandparents why they found you sleeping in my room." Arnold replied with a small squeeze of his hand in hers. "That's not really a conversation I want to have with them."

"I could have snuck out before they even knew I was there!" She insisted but stopped as she saw his disapproving look. "Fine, whatever. Walk me home! Be my knight and shining armor!"

The quiet night was then suddenly disrupted with a ever growing noise of ambulances and fire trucks in the distance. The two squinted as a blinding flash of red and white lights zoomed passed them.

"Geez… some old person found it necessary to fall and break a hip, I guess." The young woman hissed as she scowled towards the loud and obnoxious noise.

"That's not very nice, Helga. What if someone is really hurt?" Arnold suggested with a worried frown.

"Well the whole city knows about it now, now don't they? Crimity, I feel like I'm about to go deaf!" She winced as she covered her ears until more fire trucks passed by in their direction.

An ominous dread soon took hold of Arnold and he gripped his companions hand firmly. "Let's just hurry up and get you home before anyone notices…"

They continued to walk in the direction of the emporium and strangely the noise of the emergency vehicles only got louder and they both noticed a pungent smell of burning in the air.

Scrunching up her nose, Helga shook her head. "I take that back… someone clearly left the oven on and went to sleep…"

"Helga…" Arnold scolded, his feeling of dread only growing further until finally meeting its peak.

As they turned the corner to approach their final destination, they were greeted with the obnoxiously bright flashing red and white lights. Arnold and Helga stood in horror as they watched fire fighters rush to connect their hoses and turn on hydrants…

The beeper emporium was up in flames.


	19. Chapter 19

Smoke and ashes clouded the area around the two preteens, as both men and women in red uniforms rushed back and forth to put out the flame. Neither said a word, just watched. It wasn't long before the local news network showed up with their station truck in order to film what was going on and more and more onlookers came to the scene.

Helga slowly walked towards chaos as if she was hypnotized and Arnold followed. He swallowed a lump in his throat and could feel his insides becoming queasy as his muscles tensed all over. He couldn't begin to imagine how she felt and didn't even know what to say. Would now be a good time to offer words of encouragement? No, probably not until there were answers. He looked down at her pale hands and wanted to hold them, but feared it might wake her from her trance and send her into some unpredictable irrational behavior that he'd regret.

"We're here right now standing in front of what seems to be Big Bobs Beepers where it has unexpectedly caught fire. I am Michelle Gibson, first on the scene, bringing you here live." The reporter said in front of her cameraman as the team hustled to get shots of the fire from all angles.

Arnold looked back towards them with a grim expression, then back up at Helga whose expression had yet to change. There was no use asking if she was okay, and he knew it. No one was okay right now, except maybe that reporter with their big scoop.

The heat got greater and greater as Helga continued forward. It was as if her body was moving on its own, as her mind was blank and she felt nothing. A fireman bumped into her as he hurried past the two to join his other comrades but she couldn't feel the pain of the impact or noticed anyone close to her.

Now thoroughly worried that Helga had intentions of walking into the dangerous zone, Arnold caught her arm and pulled her closer to the wall of the building they were closest too, allowing more room for the busy workers to pass by.

"I know you're worried about your family but we have to stay out of their way so they can do their job, Helga." Arnold spoke softly to her. Speaking of her family, Arnold found it strange that there was no sign of either of her parents and the knot in his stomach grew.

"Hey!" A tall blond police officer walked towards them urgently, "You kids can't be here! Why has no one roped off this area?!"

"Please sir, this is Helga Pataki, she lives here." Arnold explained as he motioned towards his still stunned girlfriend, "Where is the rest of her family? Are they okay?"

The officer's face softened as he glanced over at the girl then back at Arnold. "Yeah kid, they're fine." He said as he pointed his baton towards the row of ambulances that had been hidden amongst the long row of fire trucks. "They're over there."

Arnold squinted but could see what looked like Helga's mother talking to another officer off in the distance and he nodded. "Thank you, sir." He said to the officer before tugging on Helga's arm that he was still securely attached to. "Come on; let's go see your parents."

"We're here right now standing in front of what seems to be Big Bobs Beepers where it has unexpectedly caught fire. I am Michelle Gibson, first on the scene, bringing you here live." The female voice spoke from the open television that was currently on in Arnold's living room.

Phil sat in his arm chair and pushed his boney body forward to get a better look at the T.V as he looked upon the smoldering building from a distance. "What in the world?!" He shouted, causing the attention of his son from the kitchen.

"You okay in there, Dad?" Miles called out before walking into the room with a dish rag in hand, along with a dinner plate.

"Oh ya, I'm fine but that building sure isn't." The elder replied with a mix of feelings in his voice.

"The local Beeper Emporium of Hillwood, owned by the Beeper King himself: Bob Pataki has been a staple in this community for the last few years. There has been no reports of injury as of yet and the cause of this fire still remains a mystery. We'll have more to bring you shortly…"

Miles set his dry, clean dish down on the sofa and got closer to the television. "That's Helga's family business, isn't it?" He asked as he recalled having met her large father on their way back from San Lorenzo.

"Yeah…" Phil replied as he rubbed the top of his bald head, "We better tell Arnold before…" but before the old man could get out of his chair, he noticed a familiar blond boy pull his familiar companion across the screen and out of focus.

"Is that…?" Miles asked as he watched the same scene his father was.

"Never mind then!" Phil's face grew wide with a smile. "Guess we'll have to find the scoop out from him when he gets home." He said with a laugh.

"And here I thought he was upstairs doing homework…" Miles looked at the old clock in the living room, then at his father with a puzzled look. "Is it normal for him to sneak out at night?"

The old father leaned back in his chair and grinned at his son, "No but young Arnold is growing up, Miles. I'm sure he has a good reason to why he snuck out and why he's there." Phil turned back to the T.V which had turned to a commercial. "It probably has to do with his little blond girl friend with the one eyebrow, if I had to guess."

Miles hummed to himself as he tried to remember himself at that age. He was much more rambunctious than his son; as he took after his mother at an early age, however a small feeling of disappointment lingered in the adult male's heart. Ever since coming back to Hillwood and realizing he missed so much, it dawned on him more and more of how much his one and only son had grown so much without him. It was bittersweet to see the boy have so many problems that Miles could honestly relate to. No amount of stories of Arnold's past could ever make up for the time or experience lost with him and all he could do was rely on his elderly father to fill in the gaps.

"You don't think Arnold will do anything… irrational, do you?" Miles asked his father with a worried look.

"Mmm no." Phil replied as he thought about the question. "Not if he can help it."

"What do you mean, dad?" Miles pressed for more information as he sat back down on the sofa closest to his father.

Phil gave his son a soft and understanding look. He knew very well the difficulties that his son was having, even if he hadn't experienced them himself. He too lost out on a lot of Miles life and wished to have that time back, however 10 years of an adults live versus 10 years of a child's life was drastically different.

"Why don't you sneak me one of them puddings from the kitchen and I'll tell you a story." He replied warmly. It was about time that Miles learn more about his son from the eyes of the guardian that had been watching over him all this time.

Arnold pulled Helga along towards her parents and hoped it would snap her out of her trance. "See Helga?" He called out to her with a small squeeze of his hand. "You're parents are right there."

She could hear the voice of her love speak, yet for some reason she just couldn't respond. Yeah, she saw her parents in the distance but it honestly didn't make her feel any better. Helga hadn't been worried about her parents; she had been worried about her home. Everything that she had created was in that place. All her poetry books, her shrines, her video surveillance of Arnold and everything he's done for their city, her computer with a million images of him that she had hand selected to gaze upon… gone up in smoke. What was the point of cherishing anything anymore if it was so easily taken away?

Helga looked over at the boy holding her hand. His grip was so tight and his hand was so clammy it was almost as if he was scared for her. If he was going to be in it for the good and the bad, he was about to experience a lot of that bad and a lot sooner than he knew.

Miriam immediately recognized the two as they emerged from the smoke that had been surrounding them. A look of relief came upon her face as she saw her daughter safe and sound with her friend.

"Oh Helga!" Miriam cried out as she walked quickly towards her daughter and engulfed her in a tight hug; something similar to that of which Olga would give. "I was so worried! Where have you been?" She asked as she let go of the girl to take a better look at her.

"She's been at my house." Arnold replied, causing Miriam to look over at him.

"Thank goodness! We had no idea where she was and I was so worried she might still be trapped inside." The distressed woman explained. "The firemen have been in and out of the building since the fire started and saw no trace of her, but thought it was possible she was in the basement." She became overwhelmed with relief once more and embraced her daughter. "I'm so glad you're safe, hunny!"

It was an odd feeling to have her mother hug her in the way she was, but it wasn't exactly a bad one. Helga hugged her mother back awkwardly in surprise. "T-thanks… Miriam?" She finally replied.

Arnold smiled at the sight of them both as it was comforting for him to see her being cared for, even if it wasn't a usual occurrence.

"What happened?" Helga finally asked after her mother let go of her once more and stood back to look at the wreckage.

Placing a hand on her head, Miriam frowned. "I'm honestly not sure…" Her voice became quiet and back to her usual self. "I had left shortly after you got home from school because I had to pick up a few things from the corner store when I happened upon this new little shop that had opened up around the corner. I went in and saw all these cute figurines and they reminded me of you and your sister when you were younger." The woman sighed with nostalgia before continuing on. "I ended up losing track of time in there and before I knew it, they were about to close! So I left and as I was walking back home, I came across a young boy named Johnny who had lost his mother… oh it was so sad…"

"And then you went back home to see that it was on fire?" Helga asked, breaking her mother from her thoughts.

"Well, I helped him find her and then the two of us had a very nice talk. It was after that I started walking this way and saw the smoke and, Oh Helga, I was so scared! The fire department had already been notified and I couldn't find your father…" Miriam continued as she turned her head to look at the angry man on the phone behind her. "He's fine, of course but I just didn't know what to do."

"Do you guys know the cause of it yet?" asked Arnold as he politely made his way into the conversation.

Miriam shook her head. "Unfortunately, they said there is no way of knowing the cause until after the fire is completely out and everything has cooled off… B's on the phone right now with our insurance agency to try and find us some place to stay for the night…"

Just as the woman finished talking, Bob closed his flip phone and angrily shoved it into his pocket. "Scammers! All of them!" He shouted as he made his way towards his family. He then noticed Helga and growled. "Where on Earth have you been, girl?!" He shouted.

The mood between them all changed drastically and Helga's face twisted into something ugly. "I thankfully decided to leave before this happened!" She shouted back as she pointed to the blaze. "Who knows if I'd even be alive right now if I hadn't decided on taking a walk?"

Bob opened his mouth to holler back, but was interrupted by the soft hand of his wife. "What is it, Miriam?! Don't you see I'm talking to Olga?"

"What did they say on the phone, B?" She asked, urgently changing the subject out of both curiosity and to avoid further confrontation between the two.

With a tight grip of his fist, Bob fought back the urge to punch something. "Apparently our homeowners insurance only covered our actual house and now that the bank owns it, all the money goes to them!" He yelled.

"Wait!" Helga butted in, "So you're trying to tell us that you only got insurance on our house and not on your business?!" The small hairs all over her body began to stand up as she fully understood. "What kind of moron has a business and doesn't get insurance on it?!"

Bob put his hand up to silence his daughter and continued. "Pipe down and let me finish!" He scolded. "As far as I was aware the insurance was to cover BOTH buildings but the pinheads down in Utah or wherever they're office is can't seem to find that on file. There is no way I've been paying as much as I have for so long for only covering one place!"

Patting his arm gently to calm the big man down, Miriam smiled. "Don't worry! I'm sure they'll find our information…"

"What are we going to do about tonight?" Helga asked bluntly, figuring if anyone was to ask the obvious and real problem, it would be her.

Bob thought for a second. "We have enough to stay in a motel." He replied; placing his hands on his hips and looking disgruntled at the idea. "Nothing fancy but it will do."

Arnold raised his hand in order to gain the group's attention. "My grandpa has actually just finished renovating one of the older rooms in our boarding house. It's nothing special but I'm sure he'd rent it to you."

Big Bob laughed. "Yeah, thanks but no thanks kid. I'd rather sleep outside than in that dump."

Helga frowned at her father's comment and looked sadly at Arnold. She knew he was still doing his best but he was up against a formidable opponent. "Come on, Dad. It would be cheaper…"

With a laugh, he looked at Helga in disbelief. "You gotta be kidding me! We maybe broke but we're not that desperate to be accepting handouts!"

A few officers hailed down Mr. Pataki who stomped on over to them, leaving the three to stand in silence.

"Miriam, could you please talk some sense into him?" Helga pleaded with her mother. "Even if it's for just one night to get our situation clear and let those insurance guys call you back?"

The older woman smiled warily and patted the blonde girl on the head. "You know your father doesn't listen to me, hunny. Let's just do what he wants and who knows? Maybe this will be fun."

Arnold could feel the situation becoming muddy and despite wanting to offer more help, he had no suggestions.

"Fine then." Helga crossed her arms. "You two go! Go to your stupid motel and I'll take the Football head up on his offer." She told her mother with a stubborn look. "It's getting late and, in case you guys haven't noticed, I still have school in the morning. It would be easier to stay with him and have a way to get to school on time rather than to go to who knows where and probably miss the day all together."

"Are- Are you sure, Helga?" Miriam asked with an unsure look as she looked between her daughter and her husband off in the distance. "Don't you think the family should stick together?"

Helga let out a loud laugh. "Hah! Family? Yeah right! No one had any idea I was even gone up until now. I could have been stuck in the basement practically dead, remember?" She said harshly as she watched Miriam's expression turn sad, quickly regretting her words. Her anger was easily placed on both of her parents, however her mother was not to blame for this incident and at the very least she was relieved to see her alive. "I mean…" She continued and cleared her throat, "I'll be fine at Arnold's, Miriam. You handle stuff with Bob and at least you know where I am, right?" Helga finished with a nicer sounding tone.

Depression filled Miriam's lungs as she sighed. Helga was miserable… always so miserable. She had every right to be in this situation; however her independence was only going to complicate things. "Alright hunny, you stay with your little friend and we'll come by once we have more information. I'll let B know when he comes back." She agreed unwillingly. At least maybe this would make her happy.

"Maybe you can convince Mr. Pataki to join us?" Arnold suggested with a little bit of hope in his voice.

Putting on a small smile, the woman nodded to him. "I'll try. Take care of Helga for us."

The words seemed odd coming from her mother's mouth but she took them and grabbed Arnold's arm and figured she better make a move on it now before Bob came back and changed the plan. "Come on, Football head."

Having mixed feelings about the whole situation; The Emporium burning, Bob's lack of information and control of it all, as well as Miriam's obvious painful expression and Helga's harsh demeanor… Just what was this family? He could feel Helga tug on him a few times as well as the piercing glare. "I will, Mrs. Pataki. Don't worry." He said as he returned her small smile with a gentle one.

"Any day, Arnoldo!" Shouted the girl as she tugged him so hard he lost balance and stumbled a bit before following her.

Miriam watched sorrowfully as they walked far into the distance before disappearing. Everything around her was chaotic and the overwhelming desperation that filled her body was beginning to make her tired. She took in a deep breath and patiently awaited her husband. Who was he talking to? What were they talking about? Was she even going to get answers to those questions when he got back? Did they even matter?

"Ma'am?" A male voice said from behind her. It was the ambulance driver and he was holding out a white blanket to her. "Would you like a blanket? You look cold."

She hadn't noticed but her body shivered despite the scorching blaze that burn only a few buildings away. "Yes… thank you." She replied as she took his generous offer and placed it around her shoulders. Why couldn't everyone be kind like this?

"Heh, would you look at that? I'm going to be staying at your place anyway." Helga chuckled after they had gotten a far enough distance away and let go of his arm. "Could have saved myself the trouble of watching all my crap burn down if you'd have agreed to hide me there in the first place but oh well, right?"

Unsure if she was being sarcastic or genuine, Arnold chose not to respond. Why add fuel to the fire, right? Speaking of staying at his place, the boy hadn't thought his offer through completely before offering it and now was dealing with the consequences. Surely his family wouldn't mind Helga staying there, given the circumstances, however who knew how long she would need to be there? How would he feel about her being so close to him especially after his conversation with her up on the roof? Arnold could feel heat begin to prickle his cheeks as the thought occurred to him. It was bad enough that he had confusing urges and dreams about her, but he had finally begun accepting his feelings for her- his real feelings for her.

His silence after her rude statement caused Helga to glance over at him. She could see he was deep in thought. Wanting to focus on him rather than her own negative feelings, Helga unconsciously began pushing her dismal reality into the farthest part of her mind. What's got him so quiet? Was it something I said? She wondered as she took in his image. She could still hear the commotion even after they were blocks away from it all and it was trying to remind her…

"Sooooo…." She started whimsically, feeling a little nervous. "Crazy night, huh?" Her question rewarded her with a look up from him. His face looked complicated. "What?"

Arnold swallowed and wondered if he should tread lightly. "Was it really okay to leave your parents back there? Your mom looked pretty worried about you."

Helga snorted loudly and looked back in front of them. "My parents can take care of themselves, you know that. Big Bob is the 'leader of the family' and nothing can stand in his way."

"That's not what I mean…" Arnold could feel a small clenching in his stomach and looked at her sympathetically, causing Helga to seem a little alarmed.

"Then… what do you mean?" She asked.

Still juggling the idea of proceeding with the presumably sensitive topic, Arnold stopped walking which lead his companion to do the same. "It's just…"

Helga had a gnawing feeling inside her and she began to get nervous as he was clearly tiptoeing around something and hoped it had nothing to do with their discussion earlier. "It's just what? Spit it out for crying out loud!" She blurted out, feeling her composure starting to become shaky.

"Look, I know you don't have the best home life… as you told me so yourself, but I don't know if it was right to just abandon them to figure everything out themselves. You are a family and families should figure things out together." He finally spoke as he stared up at her. He knew her private business wasn't his own but he also knew that not saying anything would have also been a betrayal of himself. "Call me nosy or a busybody or whatever, but your mother seemed like she actually cared what happened to everyone and I think you saw it too. Why did you just leave?"

Helga's face molded into a scowl as she listened to his words. Did he not listen to a word I said up on the rooftop? Does he not care how much I've already suffered at the hands of my own 'family'? How could he say something like that as if he knows them?! She thought as rage began to build up.

"You 'look', Bucko!" Helga shouted out. "You don't know my parents! Did you hear nothing I told you earlier?"

"I did Helga, but-"

"But nothing!" She continued, not letting the boy get a word in. Helga pointed her finger at him and jabbed it into his chest. "You heard what Miriam said. It doesn't even matter what she says to him, and you know damn well that he doesn't give a crap about anything I have to say! And as far as I'm concerned, they can both sleep out on the street if they want to since your place isn't good enough. Why do you care about them anyway?"

Her jabs were rough and he could feel they were probably going to cause a bruise but his conviction didn't waver. "I just think that we could have waited a little bit longer to see if they changed their mind. Don't you care where they're going to sleep tonight at all? You're not the only one who lost everything tonight."

"No! I don't care!" She shouted back, retracting her index finger from his chest and balling it up into a fist. "What part of that don't you get, Football head?!"

"I think you do and you left before it could bother you." He finally said, telling her what had been bothering him since they left.

His words stunned her for a moment and the girl didn't know what to think or say.

"And I think you know I'm right." Arnold finished with a soft and kind tone.

Thoughts and feelings rampaged in the girls mind as she contemplated his words. They didn't make sense and the less and less she understood, the angrier she ended up. Remembering her mother's expressions from earlier played in her mind and left a sour taste in her mouth. Choosing not to confront him about it, Helga turned around and began to walk towards his boarding house once more.

"Helga!" He called out to her, giving her a few steps ahead of him before eventually chasing after her.

Her stride turned into stomps as he got closer, "What's the use of letting their feelings bother me when my feelings don't bother them?" She hissed as she balled up both her fists and gripped tightly. "You practically just got parents yesterday and now you think you're a master on the subject? Don't preach things you know nothing about and drop the subject, Arnold."

The words stung as he knew there were truth to them but he refused to change subjects, even for her sake. "I may not know about having traditional parents, but I've always had a family." He spoke from the heart. "And I'm only saying something to you because I care, Helga."

The two were nearing his boarding house and both could see its red brick from the distance. Helga quickened her pace in order to near the building but was caught short by his sudden grip on her arm, causing her to halt. She stared him down forcefully however his stern but tender eyes stared back and pierced her soul. Helga could feel her will begin to deteriorate as she lost herself within them. It was clear that he did care but this wasn't something she wanted to deal with right now.

Before Helga could open her mouth to reply, the large green door to the Sunset Arms opened up and distracted them both. Arnold's grandpa walked out and looked at them before shaking his head and placing his hands on his hips. "You kids gonna stand out here and chat all night? It's getting late."

"We'll just be a minute, Grandpa" Arnold replied but to his dismay, Helga snatched her arm away from him and headed to the stoop.

"My family's business burned down and now I'm basically homeless. Can I stay here tonight? My parents know and don't care." She told the old man with a casual tone, ignoring what Arnold had said.

Phil raised his eye brows and looked over at his grandson. "Well… If the Shortman says it's okay…" He said as he scratched the top of his balding head.

Arnold replied to his elder with a half hearted smile and a nod, before Phil opened the front door wider to let the young lady escape, leaving the two males to stand there awkwardly.

"Luck hasn't seemed to be on your side lately, Arnold." Said Phil as he shut the door to talk to his grandson privately.

Arnold let out a loud sigh before walking up and sitting down on the stoop next to him, propping both his arms on his knees and burying his face in his hands. "Not so much, Grandpa."

"We saw Big Bob's Beepers on the news tonight…" Phil revealed before struggling to sit down next to the boy. "Pretty big fire… they find out what caused it yet?"

"No…" Arnold replied, although muffled through his hands.

Phil let the summer crickets chirp around them and took a nice breath of fresh air. He could somewhat taste the smoke even with how far away they were and he smacked his lips. "That's a shame. I'm sure they'll find out tomorrow. Doubt any of their stuff will be salvageable though." He gave Arnold a window of opportunity to speak but when the boy didn't take up the chance, Phil continued on. "Where's the rest of the Pataki's?"

"Probably in some hotel by now." Arnold replied, removing one of his hands from his face and looking up at his grandpa. "I asked them if they wanted to stay here but-"

"But Big Bob probably laughed in your face and called you a puny little peasant boy, right?" Phil suggested, cutting the boy off. "Oh Arnold, your kindness is one of your best traits but not everyone deserves it, you know." He stated with a small pat on the boys fluffy blond hair. "You're a better man than I, Shortman. I wouldn't have offered that hulking blowhard my left sock with the hole in it even if he offered me a million dollars!" Phil paused with a thought. "Well actually I would probably accept it if it was a million dollars but you get what I'm trying to say."

Arnold sighed and looked back at the gray cement. "It just seemed wrong leaving them while their home burned down…"

After thinking of what Helga said before walking into their home, Phil frowned. "And what does your little lady friend think about it?"

"She said she doesn't care but…" Arnold paused and looked up at his grandfather with sadness looming in his eyes. "I know that's not true."

Phil smiled painfully before wrapping his arm around the boy's shoulders and squeezing him in. "Just give her some time, Arnold. A lot just happened to the poor girl. Maybe she just needs some time to think quietly or maybe reality will never set in and she'll be like your Grandma and think she's still in Zimbabwe protecting rhino's from poachers."

Knowing his grandfather had the best in his heart; Arnold gave a small light hearted chuckle. "Thanks, Grandpa."

"And if you smell something really bad… it wasn't me." Phil said with a confident voice as he squeezed his grandson closer to him.

"Oh…"

As soon as Helga had barged into the boarding house, she had looked for the safest route with little disturbance. Where was her room going to be? It didn't matter; she just didn't want to interact with anyone right now. She ran up the stairs and headed for Arnold's room. Just as she turned the corner, she heard someone opening their room door and ducked into the nearest available room: The bathroom.

Inside she took in a deep breath to calm her nerves. She needed some privacy to get her head straight and without interruption. "What's wrong with me?!" She demanded from herself. "I know Arnold was just trying to help, in his stupid little annoying prying ways, but just to push my way into his house and act like I own the place?!" Helga stopped for a moment after hearing her own words. "Well that does sound like me but that's not the point! Here he is showing me all this hospitality and the best I can do is fight with him and run away! He even went out of his way to offer my parents a place to stay, despite how horrible they are! He's such a benevolent angel and what am I?"

The girl walked over to his bathroom mirror and took a long, hard look at herself. "I'm… this." She said. The day had been far more stressful than any other day in her young life and it shown. Her hair was sticking out all over the place and there were black particles all over her face and clothes from the ash that was scattered throughout the air. Taking a clean washcloth, she dampened it with some water and attempted to clean some of the specks off her face but only smudged it and made it worse. It was crazy to think that this black stuff used to be her family's belongings and now? Now it was a pile of ash being scattered to the wind; things that once held so much meaning and memories, gone in an instant.

Helga could feel her body begin to shake as the reality started to set in. Her one and only wish was to get her home back and now the only thing she had close to a home was burning down. She was now officially homeless, along with her parents. Just a few years ago, her family was racking in the cash and now they were practically penniless comparatively. No more Big Bob's Beepers to keep them afloat, just… Big Bob.

With wobbly legs, Helga turned around and sat down on the toilet in the corner of the bathroom. Her head was becoming dizzy and the room began to spin. Feeling's of nausea made themselves aware to the young girl as she closed her eyes and pulled her legs up to her chest to rest her head on her knees. The toilet seat wasn't very big, but it held her folded up body fairly well. She began to breathe in and out slowly in order to keep consciousness as a form of first aid. When was the last time she ate? Probably school lunch and even then all she did was pick at her plate. Was she hungry? Was she dehydrated? Was this what it felt like to hit rock bottom? She wasn't sure, but the one thing she was sure of was she could vomit any minute.

Suddenly, a small knock came from the bathroom door. Helga picked up her head to look towards it but had absolutely no energy to do anything about it. More knocks came followed by a soothing voice.

"Helga? Are you in there?" Called a feminine voice from outside the door; it was probably Arnold's mother. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She forced out with her usual strong tone, but recoiled with a quiver. She knew it was a lie.

There was a pause before the woman continued. "I'd like to talk to you… Could you come out?" Stella asked.

Realizing that she had instinctively locked the door, Helga growled under her breath before picking herself up and wobbling over. Once she got there, she placed her weight on the handle to steady herself before taking in another deep breath to calm her body before opening it.

In front of her stood the tall brunette woman with a head similar to that of her love. The woman gave a concerned look with a smile. "One of the boarders said you ran in here a while ago so I wanted to come check on you." She explained; sounding a bit nervous herself.

A while ago? Helga thought. I've been in here like 5 minutes! I think…

"I heard what happened to your family's business and that you might be staying here a little while until your parents find a solution. I just wanted to let you know that you're welcome to stay as long as you need to." Stella continued, slowly warming up to her recipient. "I can't imagine what you're going through right now and I'll be here if you need someone to talk to."

Wanting nothing more than to just be alone, Helga steadied herself with the door and huffed. "I appreciate the sentiment but I said I'm fine, didn't I?" She said, struggling to concentrate. Her vision was becoming a little blurry and she could feel her strength being drained every second she stood.

"Yes… You did but you also don't look too well, dear." The woman replied, now feeling more concerned than ever. She watched as Helga's color started to turn pale. "I think you should lie down."

"I can take care of myself!" Helga snapped back through the now loud ringing that was piercing her ears. She could feel her body getting hot and she started to feel sweat beginning to form all over her body. Arnold's mom was right, she wasn't well. Something was wrong but before Helga could say anything further, the room went dark and she collapsed.

Noises. Voices. An annoying light that was now finally coming through her eyelids… Helga stirred before slowly opening her eyes to see Arnold sitting next to her. Looking around, she could see that she was in his room. "What happened?" She asked quietly.

"You fainted and my mom carried you up here so you could lie down." Arnold replied with a frown. "Helga, you should have said that you weren't feeling well. You could have gotten hurt if she wasn't there to catch you."

She could feel herself shiver, even beneath the blankets that she was wrapped in. Forcing her body to sit up so she could get a better idea of what was going on, the young woman noticed that she was in his bed and immediately her face lit itself red.

"No, you should really lie down!" Arnold insisted as he placed his hands on her shoulder to usher her back down.

Unable to fight him, she did as she was told and placed her head back on his pillow. Now feeling completely embarrassed by the situation, Helga closed her eyes and placed her palm on her face. "Out of all the places for me to be… Why am I in your bed?"

"My mom wanted you to wake up in a familiar place, so you wouldn't be startled when you woke up." He explained, pushing back his own embarrassment for her sake. "I figured my room was probably best."

She was right in letting me wake up in his room, but his BED?! Helga screamed inside of her head. Does she not know we're dating? What kind of mother purposely puts her son's girlfriend in his BED?! It's like she's begging for unspeakable events to happen! She groaned out loud at the thought. Not like she's been a mother for very long though, so I can't exactly blame her but still… That's something Miriam would pull.

Images began to flood the girls mind until she was in her own lengthy daydream of the two of them in an ideal moment. There she lay on his bed, his hands in hers, looking into each other's eyes. "Oh my darling, how I've always waited for this fateful day." The dream Arnold spoke to her in a raspy tone.

"Yes, my love." She cooed back, looking into his dreamy eyes and getting lost in their own endless maze.

"And now you are finally here, with me, alone in my bed." He continued as he brought his face closer to hers. She could feel his hot breath on her skin as he bent down and began to kiss her neck.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" She asked him with a slow moan escaping her lips as he kissed. "Are you sure you are satisfied with… me?"

"Yes!" He said loudly, breaking away from her skin and looking deeply into her eyes. "It has to be you. You and only you."

"Oh Arnold!" She gasped happily.

Her daydream suddenly broke as she heard him continue to talk but much of it was lost to her ears.

Arnold let out a heavy sigh and looked down at the floor. So much had happened today and he wasn't exactly sure what to say anymore. Should he continue to apologize? He had pushed her to her limits to a breaking point of fainting in his bathroom. Maybe it would be best if he just stopped talking and they went to sleep. He glanced over at his alarm clock. It was already past 10pm.

"Look Helga, I'm really sorry about today. Maybe it would be best if we just went to sleep." He said as he shuffled his feet. "You can sleep here in my bed, and I'll sleep on my sofa over there. Sound good?"

"Sleep? In your bed?" Helga repeated, her face becoming another shade of red at the thought and images of her daydream coming back. "A-Are you s-sure this is what you w-w-want? This is y-your bed, after all. I could move."

He turned to her with a small sympathetic smile. "Yeah. It would be unhost-like of me to make you move when you're already there and besides," he said as he brushed a strand of blonde hair away from her face, "You look comfortable enough."

Arnold turned to get up and walk away but his arm was suddenly grabbed and he looked at her shocked. She had a strange expression on her face that he had never seen before and it made his heart thump inside his chest. A silence played between them as unspoken emotions danced throughout the atmosphere.

"W-wait…" She said meekly, as she pulled her body up to a sitting position again, still holding on to his arm.

"Y-yes?" He asked, strangely hoping she might say something that he himself wasn't sure of.

Helga could feel her body begin to shiver again as the unusually cold air hit her skin. She had been sweating under his blankets yet the only thing her body yearned for right now was the warmth of his own. Another silence hung as the two of them could only hear the steady beat of their own hearts.

"I…umm…" Helga spoke quietly, forgetting why she stopped him in the first place. "Are you sure you should leave me? Right now? I think I'm sick."

Hearing her words made the boy curious. He reached over to the top of her forehead and placed the back of his free hand on it. Immediately alarm shot through his body. "Helga, you're burning up!"

"H-huh?" She replied; completely not expecting what he had said. "I mean, yeah I'm really cold and could use more warmth right now."

"I'll get you more blankets." Arnold assured her as he managed to get away from her grasp and headed into his closet, causing her to frown. "I don't get sick very often so I'm not sure what to do but my Grandma usually makes me soup. Do you want me to get you some?"

Despite him doing his best to be helpful in her bad luck, Helga growled under her breath. Food did sound really good since she barely had eaten that day, but it wasn't exactly what she was aiming for.

He came back with a few more heavy quilts and gently placed them on her lap. "I'll run downstairs really quick and find something for you to eat, okay?" He said with haste before spinning around and quickly exiting his room.

After he shut his door, Arnold ran down his steps and stopped. My heart is still racing… Why? Did she get me sick as well? He wondered, slowly walking towards his second floor stairs. He wanted nothing more than for her to feel better. What could he find her to eat? Arnold ran down the stairs and headed into the kitchen. No one was around and he began to rummage through the cupboards; nothing. He then turned to the refrigerator. After moving some things around, he stumbled upon the left over rice from tonights dinner and pulled it out. It wasn't much but it was something, right?

"Whatcha up to there, Kimba?" His Grandmother's voice suddenly came out from behind him, causing him to bump his head on the freezer door above him. Arnold turned around to see her smiling at him in the doorway. "Fixing yourself a snack before bed?"

"No, this isn't for me." Arnold replied; rubbing the top of his head. "Helga has a fever and I figured she might want to eat something. We don't have any soup, do we?"

Gerty thought for a moment, and then shook her head. "Afraid not but maybe I could whip up something for dear old Eleanor. Can't have the first lady appear weak to the public, they'll rip her to shreds in the paper!"

"Thanks Grandma, but you don't have too. It's late and I don't want to wake anyone up." Arnold replied before popping the bowl into the microwave and pressing a button. "Do we have any medicine that could help bring the fever down?"

"That I can definitely help with!" Gerty announced before quickly leaving and coming back with a bottle before Arnold could take out the hot bowl. "Here!" She said as she popped it open and spilled out a few pills. "This will help her get back into tip top shape."

Curious, the boy reached out and accepted the little white ovals that she was providing him. "What are these?"

"Oh just something I keep lying around in case of situations like this. Don't worry Kimba, you'll be able to go back to adventures with her in no time." The elder woman said with a soft grin. "Give her my best wishes and then go right to bed afterwards, got it?"

"Got it." Arnold nodded. "Thanks, Grandma." He said as he watched her quietly leave just as she came. He looked at the small pills in his hand and rolled them around for a moment before remembering her food and quickly retrieved it along with a glass of water for her to take the pills with. Would the pills really help? What exactly were they and where did she get them from?

Once up the stairs, the blond boy stared up his own steps to his room. His pulse began to quicken again as he think of her waiting there for him. The image of her face while they stood there in silence came back to him and he could feel his face turn red. Maybe I am getting sick… He thought before slowly ascending and reaching his doorknob. I should probably knock… I don't want to startle her.

With a few raps from his hand, Arnold stood and waited for a response. "Helga, I have your food and am coming in, okay?" He called out before opening the door.

There she sat on his bed, right where he left her, still rather pale. Arnold swallowed and brought the food over to her. "I'm sorry it took so long. I got you medicine too." He stated as he handed the small white pills to her.

"Thanks." She replied dully, still a little miffed that he didn't understand what she had wanted in the first place.

"Grandma said these would help. Here," He said, handing out the bowl of rice and water. "I know this isn't much but it should hold you over for tonight."

Taking the warm bowl from his hands made the girl's body shiver again. She frowned as she looked upon its contents. "Rice? That's all you had?"

"It's what was left over from tonight's dinner. My mom made it." He said as he sat next to her again. "I know it doesn't look very appetizing but it tastes better than it looks."

With a skeptical look, she took a spoonful into her mouth. Flavor burst throughout her pallet and she was amazed. The rice looked so bland and yet, it was packed with some unknown flavor. "What's in this?" She asked; her mouth still full of its contents.

"I'm not exactly sure…" The young man admitted with a scratch of his head. He noticed a bump was forming where he had hit it on the refrigerator. "Some spices she got from Indonesia, I think."

Scarfing down her meal relentlessly, Helga could begin to feel her body returning some of its strength. It only took a few moments for her to be done, and she set down the bowl and popped the pills in her mouth, then swallowed with some water. I can't believe my love is taking care of me like this. I know it's not the first time but it's the first time that I can remember. Oh, how the bringer of luck wavers in his feelings towards me. Is there some meaning in him taking things away in order for me to gain others? She thought as she continued to drink the rest of the provided water.

Arnold smiled at her apatite. "I hope the medicine works. You look a little bit better now, anyway."

It was true, she felt much better now that she had some substance in her belly. With a genuine smile, Helga snuggled back under the blankets and got comfortable. "Thanks, Arnold." She said softly.

Her voice sounded much different than it usually did and a red glow graced the boy's cheeks. "N-no problem." He replied shyly. "Do you need anything else before we go to sleep?"

Yeah, your body lying next to me, Doi! She thought at his silly question but obviously would never admit out loud. "No… probably not. The pills are making me feel a little bit sleepy anyway."

He nodded and collected the dishes to place on his computer desk. "Alright. I hope tomorrow is a better day for you."

Helga scoffed at the thought. "Yeah right. The beeper emporium burning was probably all over the news, Football head. Everyone is going to know and hassle me about it and you know it."

Retrieving his own small blanket from the closet, as well as a spare pillow that Gerald used when he slept over, Arnold built his small makeshift bed up. "That's true but look on the bright side." He said as he looked up at her with an honest smile. "At least you'll be with friends who care, right?"

"If you consider snooping into my business caring, then sure." She replied; annoyed at the thought. "If there is any sort of bright side to that, than its being able to deck them when they become too annoying!" She finished with a familiar chuckle.

"Helga." He warned before walking over to flip the lights off.

"Yeah, Yeah I know. Don't even say it, just turn the lights off and go to bed. Sheesh." She responded before rolling over to face away from him. A goofy grin grew on her face at the thought of actually sleeping over his house and inside his bed.

Watching her, Arnold gave a calm sigh before hitting the switch and returning to his sofa. After he got comfortable, he looked over towards her direction. The moonlight was hitting her outline in just a way that he could see her completely, even in the dark. Once he was satisfied with taking her image in, he closed his eyes. "Good night, Helga." He whispered to her, but mostly to himself.

"Good night, Arnold." She replied back in her heart.


	20. Chapter 20

The jungle that surrounded Arnold was hot and lush with green vegetation and various noises from the local fauna that lived there. He was searching for something, but what? He already had found his lost parents so what was left in the jungle for him to find? He looked down to see that the Green Eyes emblem was still hanging around his chest but he had no journal to follow. Holding it up to his eye, he looked through its green glass. Nothing seemed to change in his view, which disappointed the young man and he placed it back down.

"What am I doing here?" He asked himself, looking around to find any sort of clue. "Mom? Dad?" No one responded and Arnold frowned. "Am I lost?"

"Lost? That's one way of putting it, bucko." replied a familiar voice.

Arnold spun around to see Helga standing there next to him with his father's journal. Overjoyed to know he wasn't alone, the boy ran up and hugged his companion tightly.

"Gross! Who said you could touch me, Hair boy?" The girl yelled before pushing him off of her and brushing off her already dirty clothes. "It's so damn hot and humid here, why on earth would you think it's okay to hug me?! Ugh!"

"I'm sorry, Helga." He replied with a smile. "Where's everyone else?"

Helga cocked an eyebrow and looked around. "Have you been eating the berries? There is no one else here but us now hurry up or we'll be late."

Her words confused him. "Late?" He asked but instead of getting a reply, he watched as she walked in front of him "Late for what?"

Helga ignored him and pushed forward, causing him to follow curiously. There were many large bushes and vines in front of their path, but Helga pulled a machete out of her backpack and began to cut them all down. "It's only a little further..." She murmured to herself, quickly glancing at a page in the book.

"Helga, where are we going?" He asked, blocking every branch that happened to swing in his direction as he followed. "Why do you have my dad's journal? And where did you get that sword?"

"Geez do you ever shut up?" She hissed. "Maybe if you stop asking questions we would be there sooner!"

"Be... where?" He asked again before getting a bunch of leaves in the face. "Helga, slow down!"

Just as he finally got the brush out of the way, he noticed his companion had disappeared. "Helga?" He called out to her. "Helga you went too far ahead!"

Still there was no response and Arnold began to get nervous. He stopped and listened to his surroundings. There were no noises of her footsteps, only the chirping of exotic birds and the sound of the wind blowing through the trees. "Helga... Stop hiding, this isn't funny." He called out again, hoping she would pop out from behind a tree or something but sadly it didn't happen.

Pressing forward, he began to follow something that somewhat looked like a trail. Where did it come from? Had Helga made it before hand? Just where was he going? Arnold's nerves began to attack him every step he took.

Just then, he took a step forward and pieces of the earth beneath him crumbled, causing him to trip and fall down a large slope. The slope seemed to go on forever as if he was being taken to the very middle of the earth itself. The further he went down, the hotter it got. Finally, the fall ended and Arnold crashed into something soft. Opening his eyes, he saw that Helga lay in front of him.

"Helga!" He shouted as he got a closer look at her. She seemed like she was asleep. "Helga, wake up!" He said as he shook her lightly; however nothing he did seemed to matter.

Laying his head down on her chest, he could hear that her heart was still beating and assumed she had just been knocked unconscious by the fall. "I gotta get us out of here..." He whispered as he looked around. They had fallen into some kind of underground cave. It was dark but there was a dim red light coming from somewhere. Hoping it was coming from someone's campsite; Arnold got up and followed the glow. "Hello?" He called out as he went further. "Is anyone there? I need help, my friend is hurt!"

Not wanting to go too far away from his fallen partner, Arnold glanced around a corner to see if there was anything in sight. "Nothing..." He said quietly, "Just where did we fall? What is this place?"

Suddenly, a loud banging of drums began to echo through the cave. Bam. Bam. Bam. Arnold back tracked to find Helga, but her body was no longer laying there. Fearing for the worst, the boy panicked and looked everywhere before deciding to go even further into the cave. Bam. Bam. Bam. The drumming got louder the further he went. He wanted to call out to her, but knew it would only be in vain. "Hello?" He called out again, hoping someone would show up.

Reaching the end of the tunnel, the room opened up into something vast. Arnold was on top of a cliff and could see everything. There were many people in ceremonial robes banging on drums, as well as dancing around a large bed with Helga at its center. "Helga!" Arnold called out; alarmed.

Searching around for a way down, Arnold finally gave up and decided that he would need to make his own down. Gingerly, he placed his foot over the edge and slid down, hitting many bulging rocks as he went. When he finally reached the bottom, steam shot up from all different areas and the room got hotter. The drummers and dancers stopped to look at him. They were not the Green Eyes tribe he knew, but someone else. He wanted to rush over to his still sleeping girlfriend, but many of the tribesmen blocked his path with large spears.

"Please..." He begged them, "I need to get to her. She's hurt!"

"You need to get to her?" called out a voice that echoed around the room; it was male and familiar but Arnold couldn't quite place it. "It's a little late for that, isn't it?"

Arnold looked around but none of the tribesman moved. "I'm taking her back home!" He protested courageously despite being largely outnumbered.

A laugh echoed. "Home? She's already here!"

More steam rose up from around him and the tribesman all parted to the side of the room. Up on top of the ledge which Arnold once stood, a tall and thin hooded figure stood there.

Taking the opportunity, Arnold rushed over to her to look for signs that she was okay. She was still breathing and looked so peaceful. The scenario seemed oddly familiar. "Helga, you got to wake up!"

"Oh she doesn't need to wake up, boy. You do." The man said with another laugh. Suddenly the room of tribesman laughed with him and he could feel the floor beneath him begin to rumble.

"What did you do to her?!" Arnold demanded as he turned to look at the hooded figure.

"What have I done? I haven't done a thing. The real question is: what have you done?" The man asked him, his voice becoming sly and deeper. "It is your job to protect her, after all."

Arnold narrowed his eyes up at the man. Despite not being able to see his face, the body shape was familiar. "Who are you?"

The man let out another loud fit of laughter, and the ground began to shake once more. Fissures started to form all over the ground and sparks sizzled and popped all around him. Feeling as though he was in danger, Arnold climbed on the bed where Helga lay to get his feet off the ground. The bed was cushiony and nothing you would expect out in the middle of a jungle or inside a deep cavern. The man continued to laugh harder and sparks turned into flames until the entire floor was engulfed in them.

Turning to his damsel in distress, Arnold placed his hands on her shoulders. Peering into her sleeping face, Arnold could see himself becoming desperate as his brow became moist with sweat. "Helga, you have to wake up. Please wake up!" But she didn't budge. "Is this the sleeping sickness?" Arnold asked the man but not letting his eyes off of her.

His laughing stopped. "Is it? Why don't you tell me, Volcano boy? I would think this would be in your area of expertise."

"Volcano boy...?" He had been called that once before and the image of who the hooded man was came clear into his mind. "La Sombra!" Arnold shouted, turning angrily to the man.

The cracks on the floor became larger and Arnold could feel that things would end very soon. He was trapped. The man laughed again and pointed his finger out to the boy. "What can you do, right? You're powerless to save her and now you've only endangered both of you! What a stupid boy of prophecy you are!"

Arnold's mind triggered a thought at the man's last few words. "Boy of Prophecy...?" He whispered to himself before looking all around him. The floors surface was no longer visible as fire and ember slowly gave way to a hot red liquid. It oozed and spread up the walls and began to rise. Sweat began to pour down the young boy's body like a waterfall and he gulped. He watched helplessly as La Sombra's voice and silhouette slowly disappeared into the distance. "

I have to do something... There has to be something I can do!" He cried out, looking around for something- anything to help his situation, but there was nothing. The lava rose higher and higher. Terror succumbed the boy and he embraced his sleeping partner. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." He said as tears formed in his eyes and he squeezed her tight, awaiting their imminent doom.

Just as Arnold thought the end was nigh, his eyes shot open as he awoke in a pool of his own sweat. His body was still in the illusion of his demise and his heart pounded vigorously in his chest. Doing his best to catch his breath and take in his real surroundings, Arnold noticed that it was still dark out and wondered just how long he had been asleep. Everything felt so... real... He thought as he sat up and took in a relieved breath. He turned to a small illuminated clock by his computer: it was a little past 3:00 am which meant he only had a few more hours of sleep before school. Dreading what the morning was going to feel like, the boy lay back down on his makeshift bed. He kicked off the blanket that he'd been using and felt the rooms cooler temperature hit his body. I must have had that dream because of how hot I was... He decided as he enjoyed the much cooler environment.

Everything was so silent, save for the soft breaths he could hear coming from the girl who lie across his room. Arnold turned his head to look upon her, wondering if she looked just as peaceful in that moment as she did in his dream. Why did he have that dream? Why wouldn't she wake up? Was La Sombra really behind it or was there another meaning to it all? Arnold groaned and rolled over to face the back of the sofa. He re-positioned his pillow to the cooler side and did his best to relax. He remembered his grandma's teachings of self control techniques and figured now would be a great time to utilize them. Concentrating on his heartbeat and breathing, Arnold gathered the world within his small body and pushed out all the negativity. So much had gone on; too much had gone on! He was very confident that tomorrow would be a much better day. All he could do was think calm thoughts and slowly drift back into dreamland.

Unfortunately for Arnold, his morning was just as dreadful as he could have anticipated. The bathroom was backed up and a line formed down the hall of boarders waiting to use the shower, his Grandma had decided to make pancakes that morning, which resulted in many burnt and the house smelling so badly that all of the stray animals ran for the hills, and Helga's mood was as sour as ever.

"School will be better..." He insisted to them both with an encouraging smile.

Helga gave the boy a scowl and stormed out his front door and in the direction of their school. After getting to their usual meeting place, she had been unexpectedly jumped on by her best friend with a very tight hug.

"Oh Helga! I'm so glad you're okay!" Phoebe cried into Helga's still dirty pink dress. "I heard what happened to the Beeper Emporium on the news and couldn't think of a way to contact you!"

Helga gave Arnold an 'I told you so' look before looking down at her small friend. "I'm fine Phoebe now get off me before you cause a scene." She said with a washed out voice. Despite her sleep being wonderful, the pills that had been offered to her that night seemed to have put her into a deeper sleep than she was used to and still felt groggy.

Phoebe did as she was told and let her best friend go. "What happened? Why did it catch fire? Are your parents okay?"

"Yeah yeah, everyone is fine and we don't know what happened yet, alright?" Helga responded dismissively with a wave of her hand. "Until my parents figure out what to do next, I'm shacking up with the Football head so don't worry."

After the words flew out of her mouth, Gerald shot a surprised look at the blond boy who pretended not to notice. "You serious?"

"What? Got a problem with it, Geraldo?" Helga asked coarsely, answering for the boy. "I don't see you offering me a place to stay in the meantime."

Placing his hands on his hips, Gerald looked between the two and cocked an eyebrow. "I'm just surprised that your parents allowed it; either of them." He replied.

Knowing just where the conversation was headed, Helga threw the extra backpack that Arnold had given her over her shoulder and began to walk in front of them all. "Come on you chuckle heads. If we stand here any longer birds will think we're statues and crap all over us! Let's go Phoebe."

"Following!" Phoebe chimed as she chased after the tall blonde girl who had hurried away.

Still puzzled by what Gerald had said, he turned to the boy. "Is it really all that strange?"

Gerald's mouth fell open and he turned to his best friend. "Let me put it this way for you, brother. If I'd ask to even stay a few hours extra at Phoebe's place, my parents would flip! Letting me sleep over? I'm just asking for my grave to be dug!" He explained before starting to follow the girls.

Arnold furrowed his brow and contemplated his friend's words for a moment, but came up empty handed. "But she's homeless right now, Gerald. If Phoebe was in that situation, surely your parents would allow it, right?"

With a burst of laughter from the darker boy, "You gotta be kidding me, right? Are you nuts?" He asked; his face full of amazement. "The real question is why isn't Helga staying with Phoebe instead of you? Don't you think she would be a little more comfortable around a fellow girl?"

"I don't know..." Arnold spoke while placing a thoughtful hand on his chin. "I guess I really didn't think about that when I offered. Maybe I should ask her later if that would be better."

Gerald shook his head and sighed. "I know you're a bold kid Arnold, but I didn't think you were this bold! Her comfort ability aside, what about yours? How are you hanging in there with her sleeping over?"

Arnold tilted his head to the side. "What do you mean? Sure, she's cranky in the morning but it's nothing I've never dealt with before. If there should be anything that I'm used to- it's Helga with a bad attitude. Remember that bio project?" He said; turning his head and letting out a small smile in nostalgia. It was so long ago yet felt like just yesterday to the boy. "All we did was fight and become miserable but in the end, everything came out alright."

"That's not what I meant..." Gerald frowned, looking down at his oblivious friend. "You're a pretty sick boy, Arnold."

"Huh?"

Halting, Gerald grabbed the blond boy's shoulders and looked at him square in the face to analyze him. Had Arnold always been this dense? It was surprising enough that he had feelings for the hostile girl but to already be this comfortable with her? Just what was going on between them? He could see that Arnold seemed genuinely confused and Gerald felt defeated. "So you're gonna stand here and tell me that not only does being alone with Helga not make you nervous in the least bit, but you don't understand why it isn't a bright idea to have her sleeping over?"

Arnold took his friends hands off his shoulders and stiffened up a little at the question. He was once again in a situation where he was missing a big picture that seemed to be in front of him. "If it was fine for us to sleep in the same room back in fourth grade, then why should it be a problem now?"

"Arnold!" Gerald tipped his head back and cried. "She's sleeping in the same ROOM as you?!" His voice seemed to echo off the buildings and caused strangers to look their way.

Feeling a blush of embarrassment overcome his cheeks, Arnold placed his hand over his best friend's mouth and tugged on his arm to continue walking again. "Don't be so loud, Gerald." He warned in a hushed tone. "I don't need the whole city to know her business."

Once his mouth was free again, Gerald held back his frustrations and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I just don't get it. Do you not feel anything when she's with you? And before you open your mouth and talk about the calm happiness she gives you, which kinda gives me a gagging feeling in the back of my throat, you know very well that's not what I mean, buddy."

Now realizing what he had meant, Arnold's blush became deeper and he felt uncomfortable. "I... I do, Gerald but it's something I'll have to deal with for her sake." He replied with a low shaky voice. "I can't let my feelings get in the way of what's really important."

"I admire your dedication but I sure don't envy you. Not only is Helga G. Pataki sleeping in your room with you but you have to ignore... that?" Gerald shook his head again and tried not to imagine the scene unfolding in his mind.

"It's not that bad, Gerald." Arnold said with a sigh. "I understand what you're saying but I do have plenty of discipline and self control."

"Whatever you say, man... Whatever you say." Gerald said, still internally worrying for his friend's sake.

"So what's it like?" Phoebe asked curiously; her eyes sparkling as she stared up at the tall pigtailed blonde girl.

Helga peered at her best friend from the corner of her eye before letting out a small smirk. She could see that since she had explained her misfortune to Phoebe that the girl had let her worries go and began to see the luck of it all. She shrugged and continued to walk, coming closer to the school doors. The boys were far out of sight so she knew she was safe. "It's alright."

The lackluster answer caused the gleam in Phoebe's eye to short out and she frowned. "Surely you have much more to report than just 'alright'?"

"Sure, it's pretty exciting to think that I'll be living with all the ice cream I can eat, however it's not like I've really had a chance." Helga admitted.

Phoebe nodded her head. "I suppose the shock of losing everything has probably... dampened the mood to indulge."

The two entered the school and rounded the corner towards their class. As they began passing familiar faces, Helga couldn't help but notice the stares and whispers that surrounded them. She felt like turning around and running back into Arnold's boarding house but knew that, that wasn't the answer. Helga G. Pataki was no coward.

"Although..." Phoebe continued quietly, "If I were in your situation... I think I would be much too nervous to stay with my own frozen treat, regardless of how delightful it would seem."

"Well luckily you don't have the bad luck of ending up in my family and having to deal with it." Helga replied simply, a little blandness on her tongue.

The small girl frowned. "I'm sorry Helga, I didn't mean to be insensitive."

"Don't sweat it, Pheebs." Helga shrugged as she placed her hand on the portal to the doom that awaited her. "Maybe the little twerp is rubbing off on me. I seem to be making the best out of a very horrible situation."

The comment forced a smile out of Phoebe and she nodded in agreement. If there was one trait in Arnold that she admired, it was always his ability to see the silver lining on even the darkest clouds. The thought of her best friend becoming even a little more joyous than usual made her hopeful. Maybe things do happen for a reason.

As soon as Helga opened her homeroom door, the gasps and whispers got louder and more deafening. She cringed and stomped into the room in normal the Helga Pataki manner and plopped down at her desk.

"Is it true?" The unavoidable first question was asked by Sid. "Did your place really burn down?"

"Did you really lose everything?" This one was from Harold.

"Are those your only pair of clothes left?" Next was Rhonda.

"Where are you gonna stay?" Eugene asked; his fingers entwined with each other as his sad eyes fell upon the girl.

"Has your family finally turned to their wild side, joined a savage clan of hobos and took to the streets?!" Curly cried out with his fists in the air with excitement.

Helga growled and opened the top of her desk to retrieve a notebook and pencil, doing best to ignore all the questions. It was only a matter of time before everyone had their fill and she could dismiss them all in one giant swoop.

"What started the blaze?" Stinky asked.

"Did anyone get hurt?" Sheena chimed in.

"What's gonna happen to your family's business?" Nadine asked as she pushed a few of them aside to get in on the questions.

Helga gripped her pencil and did her best to be patient and breathe calmly.

"Everyone... please sit down and give her some space, okay?" Phoebe asked politely in her meek voice, doing her best to get everyone's attention.

"Was it really an accident or did you guys do it on purpose for the insurance money?" Rhonda asked as she crossed her arms and eyed the girl. "Knowing your family, I wouldn't doubt it."

"What are you guys gonna do about food? Are you gonna eat out all the time because boy howdy that sounds pretty great!" Sid asked, pushing Rhonda out of the way and causing her to scoff.

As the questions continued, Arnold and Gerald entered the room and saw the spectacle. Instantly, Arnold looked to Helga and saw small veins popping out of her forehead as she restrained herself.

"Everyone... please... be respectful to her private business..." Phoebe pleaded some more but their voices all drowned the poor girl out. After a few of them began to shove her out of the way, the few ounces of tolerance the small Asian girl had crumbled away and her inner demon unleashed. "Everyone BACK UP and BE QUIET!" She shouted forcefully. The room quieted instantly and the others let Phoebe have the floor. She took in a deep breath and turned to them all. "I'm aware that all of you have questions for Helga but please, if you were in her situation would you really want to be paraded with questions like this? This is not this week's' scandal between celebrities and you are not the paparazzi. Helga is our friend and her family's personal business is their own so if you have questions for her out of concern and not curiosity, then please ask her in a more private and quiet manner."

"I bet the only reason you're telling us off is because you already know!" Sid suggested with a huff as he crossed his arms.

"Not at all, Sid." Phoebe clarified as she adjusted her glasses which had slid down a little due to her outburst. "I know just as much as you do and that is because I am respecting my best friend and letting her tell me when she is ready."

As the crowd mumbled to themselves in disappointment, a clear path was made and the boys who had just entered were allowed passage to their desks. Arnold looked at Helga with worry as he past but she did not look up to catch his eyes. He wanted to help her but he already knew that if he were to butt in now it would only had stirred the pot more and caused more chaos as he wasn't sure how many of his classmates knew about his relationship with the girl.

"Thanks Phoebe..." Helga said through her teeth. She meant it, truly, however her body refused to distress after the scene. At least she didn't have to be the one to end it all for them.

Her best friend smiled and patted the tense girl on the shoulder. "Not a problem, Helga." Feeling proud of herself for being able to stand up for Helga a second time, Phoebe wandered over to her own seat to sit and wait for their teacher to show up.

Moments passed and Helga had finally managed to pry the nearly broken pencil from her hand. She couldn't remember what her original purpose for taking out the writing utensil and paper was, but she figured now would be a good time to utilize those supplies. Turning the cover, she began to sketch herself as a large monster stomping her classmates to smithereens. Why did they care what happened to her anyway? Since when did her well-being become something important to them? She knew the answer was obvious. They weren't actually concerned for her, but rather just nosey busybodies who wanted something to talk to their friends about. Coloring the lines darker and darker, Helga released as much negativity as she could into that one picture. Despite how she was feeling though, she knew she did well by Arnold by not hurting any of them. Oh my beloved, through pain and toil I have fought my deepest and darkest demons for you, my Angel. Are you proud of me? Do you see the light you have given me through your small favor? I am doing my best, my prince. You don't have to care for me, house me or feed me but you have! Helga rehearsed her monologue in her head as she began to draw her saint up in the sky above the destruction she wished she could rein upon the school. Do I dare indulge the thought of you longing for me as I have longed for you all these years? The words you spoke to me atop your roof; the kiss that was bestowed upon me, is it all true? Curse my wretched heart for hoping that maybe... maybe those words came from your heart and not just you wanting to comfort me. She began to detail Arnold further with angel wings and a halo. To share your room, even sleep in your bed? My wildest girl thoughts have wandered there many times but never considered it a true reality one day. The thought of you craving me as I crave you is too invigorating to bare! Is it too soon to test those waters? I have seen the daring look in your eyes before: The hunger. I know all too well the feeling, my dear sweet Arnold! Grace me with your gift of longing and take away all the pain!

The bell rang and signaled the students to be settled in their classrooms. The noise outside of their room quieted down and it seemed suspicious that Mr. Simmons hadn't burst into the room yet. Arnold rose from his seat and peered out of the classroom door window.

"Whatcha gandering at, Arnold?" Stinky asked curiously.

"Doesn't it seem strange that Mr. Simmons isn't here yet?" Arnold asked, turning around to face his friend as well as the class who also seemed to be looking at him- save for Helga who was still engrossed with her art.

"Now that you mention it, it does seem a little off that the bell has rung and he hasn't appeared." Phoebe replied.

"Maybe he ate too much Wambo Burger and is stuck on the toilet?" Harold shouted from across the room. "I know the feeling..." He finished, rubbing his stomach and giving a sickly look to the thought.

"I think that's only you, bubba." Gerald replied to the hefty boy with a shake of his head.

Arnold walked away from the door and around the student's desks to the large window with an open view of the front of the school. He wasn't there either.

"Oh no..." Sid gasped. "Do you think he's gotten sick of us and we'll be stuck with another teacher again?! I don't think I could handle another Lieutenant Major Goose..."

"Don't be absurd." Rhonda waved off with her hand to the boy who seemed to now be cowering. "I'm sure he is just running late or something. Adults do have their own agenda, after all."

"Rhonda is right, Sid. We're Mr. Simmons extra special students and he wouldn't give us up for the world!" Eugene encouraged warmly before giving himself a hug.

"Pipe down, you morons!" Helga called out to them before setting down her pencil loudly. "I'm sure Mister Sunshine and Rainbows will be here any minute. Instead of being like the Football head and worrying so much, why not, I don't know, DO something productive?!"

After her words, Curly jumped up on his desk, nearly pushing Brainy over in the process. "It is time I took over this class! Everyone, in formation! We will take down the school!" He shrieked with a fit of laughter that followed.

With much concern, Arnold went back to his seat and frowned. "I just hope nothing bad happened."

Turning around with a harsh squeak from her chair, Helga eyed the boy sharply. "What's the worst that could really happen to him, Arnoldo? His favorite T.V Drama get cancelled? His grocery store stopped selling his favorite brand of organic freshly pressed juice?!"

He could see that she was just putting on her usual display, but still felt the need to fight back. "Come on, Helga. How can you be like that? What if there was an accident? He could be seriously hurt."

The girl snorted and turned back around. "Then why don't you go search for him if you're worried so much? Scour the streets, for crying out loud! Do what you want just stop ruining my time with your annoying voice!"

Arnold pushed back his negative emotions and proceeded to make his way towards the door again. Maybe Principal Wartz knew where he was and if he was okay. "I'll be back guys." He said with a tone of exhaustion and left the room.

Stepping outside the classroom, he noticed no one in the halls. No teachers, no hall monitors. No one. A strange feeling tingled the boy's stomach as he walked towards the Principal's office. Once outside of it, he could hear a bit of talking between a few individuals and decided to politely knock. The talking abruptly stopped and he could hear someone making their way to the door. After a quick handle jiggle, the door slowly opened to reveal the man he was looking for.

"Arnold?" Mr. Simmons questioned the boy with a shocked look. "What brings you to Principal Wartz's office? Is everything alright?"

"Actually Mr. Simmons, I was looking for you." Arnold explained, eyeing the doorway a little to see who was inside the office.

The balding teacher quickly looked at the clock that had been hung over the doorway and gasped. "Oh my! Is it really that time already? Time sure flies..." The man cleared his throat and looked back at his student with an uncomfortable look. "Don't worry Arnold, I'll be in class in a few more moments. Principal Wartz and I are taking care of a few things."

Arnold couldn't help but notice that his teacher was hiding something, but knew it wasn't his place to pry. He nodded. "Okay."

"Great!" Mr. Simmons clapped his hands together in delight. "I'm pleased that you were concerned enough to come looking for me, but I assure you everything is A-Okay!" He finished before backing up and slowly closing the door. It was only a second, but Arnold was sure he saw something familiar right before the door shut completely.

Shrugging his suspicions off, he made his way back into the lively classroom where Curly had resulted in jumping from one desk to another and annoying the lot of them. Helga crumpled up her art and tossed it in the garbage angrily, nearly walking into Arnold as he opened the door and stepped inside.

"Watch where you're walking, geek bait!" She yelled before crossing her arms defiantly and sneering down at him. "Sooooo.... Did you find your precious teacher? Is everything okay again in the world of your weird shaped little head?"

Frowning again at her attitude, Arnold moved aside and looked at the class. "I did. He's in Principle Wartz's office taking care of some things. Said he would be here soon."

"Oh thank heavens!" Helga exhaled sarcastically, waving her arms around in a dramatic way. "I was actually beginning to think that we would be left alone forever to teach ourselves!" She cried out, wrapping her arms around herself and pretending that she was shivering. "I was so cold and afraid, Arnold! You saved us from having to join Curly and his band of idiots." She spat into the trash can next to her and followed Arnold with her eyes as he proceeded to walk away. A familiar feeling washed over her as she finished her charade for the class to see. No one suspected a thing, and even those who knew what was going on didn't make any indication that anything was different, including Arnold. She smiled as if her place was still where it should be and heaved a sigh of stale air.

Arnold wandered his way over to Gerald who finished up a conversation he was having with Nadine. "Hey buddy, you feeling better now that you found Mr. Simmons?"

The blond boy let out a solemn sigh and leaned his back up against the empty desk behind him which belonged to Curly, who was still rampaging around the classroom with his antics. "Yeah, I guess so but something still felt.... Off."

"Come on, Arnold. You're worrying about nothing! Just relax until he comes back." Gerald said, trying to ease his best friend.

Arnold looked around the room at the chaos that had ensued since the beginning of class. "We should probably clean all this up before he comes back. You know how chaos gets to him ever since San Lorenzo."

"True that." Gerald replied with a point of his finger. He stood up and took in a deep breath. "Everyone!" He called out to them, gaining all of their attention. "Mr. Simmons is on his way back to class right now so let's start cleaning all this up. Curly!" He called to the disturbed boy who was currently chewing on a wooden ruler crouched by the window. "This mess was your fault so get a grip and start picking up, man."

Curly straightened up his back until he was as straight as a pole. "Aye, Aye, captain!"

Smiling, Arnold started to pick up some fallen books and papers until the rest of the class joined in. Even in the craziest moments, they always could come together and act like a tribe.

It didn't take too long for the pre-teens to finish picking up the room and putting it back to the neat and tidy way their teacher liked things. About 15 minutes later, the classroom door opened and the awaited man stepped in.

"Hello Class!" He said in his usual cheery tone. He walked in front of the white board and became the center of attention. "Now I know all of you are eager to know where I've been..."

"As if..." Helga snarled from her seat.

"And I have great news for you all! I was finishing up some paperwork and tying up some loose ends with a very special person before class could start. I didn't want to miss a thing!" He said; his grin growing larger and larger as he spoke. "I have a surprise for you all! Are you ready?" The class cheered loudly, signaling the man to continue. "Very good! You may come in now..." He spoke, looking towards the door.

Slowly it opened up and a known figure entered the classroom. She had long brown hair that was braided behind her and a sweet look about her that everyone came to love, save for one classmate. Her long brown cowboy boots clicked as she stepped into place next to her teacher and she smiled for everyone.

"Welcome back, Lila!" Mr. Simmons cried out as he clapped his hands excitedly.

"I am ever so happy to be back." The girl replied, her warm smile entering the hearts of many. "I can't wait to hear about everything I have missed since I've been away!"

That was the final agitation for Helga as her pencil finally snapped in half. Lila Sawyer, the pretty little sweetheart of P.S 118, one of the girls who stole the heart of her beloved, one of the only few people who knew her deep affections for that very boy. Helga had not missed her one bit and, although she was happy that the class would now focus their attention on her instead of bothering Helga with questions about the fire to her family's business, she loathed the possibility of the little miss still holding a piece of Arnolds heart.


	21. Chapter 21

The 6th grade class of P.S 118 cheered as their returned friend took a bow and settled herself down at the only free desk, which happened to be behind Stinky in the far right corner of the room. The southern boy turned his body around and smiled at the young girl.

"Welcome back, Miss Lila. I have to say I missed your glowing smile and rosy cheeks, heck I reckon we all have!" He said in a warm voice which delighted the girl.

"That is ever so sweet of you, Stinky." She replied gratefully, "I've missed you all ever so much as well!"

Mr. Simmons cleared his voice to get the classes attention again and began to write the day's lesson on the board. "Yes, it is very good to have you back in class Lila! Now everyone get out your history books and turn to page 209 so we can begin today's topic of Greek God and how they shaped religion for around the world!"

Most of the students did not mind this topic and obediently followed his instructions. The overly enthusiastic gentleman started his lesson while the students listened on and took notes that he had periodically written down. Many interesting stories and facts were told about the far away land and their interesting history and lore. There were a few questions, giggles and sounds of awe as the teacher continued on.

Minutes turned into hours and soon half the day's classes were over and it was now time for lunch. The hungry and eager students filed out of the room in route to the old cafeteria. Many were still interested in Lila's time with her family and gathered around her at the table she chose.

"Oh, I had the most delightful time!" She sang with her fingers clasped together. "It was ever so wonderful to see my extended family again."

"What did you do while you were there?" Harold asked curiously.

"Yeah, do you have any color yarns to weave for us today, Miss Lila?" Stinky contributed.

"Well…" The pleasant girl started as she began to shyly play with one of her braids. "As I wrote in my letter, the reason I went away was to help my Aunt May. She had gotten an ever so serious infection after hurting herself in the yard and it needed to be treated right away." The kids all listened quietly as she spoke. "Although many of my relatives live in South Carolina, a lot of them have… rather busy lives and could not take the opportunity to help her. She is my father's precious little sister so he felt obliged to help which I was ever so grateful to join in!"

"Is she feeling better now? Did they clear the infection?" Arnold asked eagerly, gaining the soft girls attention.

"Why, Yes Arnold! She is fit as a fiddle and is back in her field planting daisy's as we speak, I imagine." The young girl replied with a hopeful smile. "I believe she'll be ever so careful this time around."

"Boy howdy, I didn't realize an infection could make you have to stay in a hospital!" Sid called out with a frightened look.

"Of course, Sid! Any infection if left untreated could seriously hurt your body! The infected area needs to be drained from the puss right away and antibiotics given to clear it up" Sheena replied informatively, "You could always ask my Aunt Shelley about it!"

"That is absolutely repulsive!" Rhonda cried in disgust.

"I don't know, Rhonda. It sounds pretty interesting to me!" Eugene disagreed happily, earning a smile from Sheena.

"Well of course you would find it interesting, Eugene! With how much you injure yourself, I'm sure you've had plenty of disgusting infections!" Rhonda replied as she backed away from the small boy before crossing her arms, "And besides, you're a geek! Geeks are always interested in weird things."

Lila listened on as her fellow classmates and friends continued to have side conversations in relation to her topic. Once the voices quieted down a bit, she turned to Arnold who was closely to her left. He was giving her a rather sad face which had her concerned. "Why Arnold, what's ever so wrong?"

The boy rubbed the side of his arm awkwardly. The thought of such a small thing as an infection being enough to emit someone in the hospital for weeks seemed too shocking to be true and it only made him reflect on the importance of safety a little more. His grandparents were always doing miscellaneous things around the house, some more dangerous than the others, and their age made them very susceptible to getting hurt. "I just hope that your Aunt is a little more careful, that's all." He replied, covering up his real concern about his own relatives.

"I assure you, she is ever so fine." Lila smiled back. "Now I am ever so interested in your trip across the sea! Please fill me in on your adventures!"

The class all began to fill her in on the drama that had ensued in San Lorenzo. Her eyes widened at all of the craziness that had gone on, as well as their own dangers that they had faced. "Oh my, you were all held captive by a… river pirate?" She asked; her face full of dumbfoundment.

"And that's not even the worst part! It was all Arnolds fault!" Harold cried out as he angrily looked at the odd headed boy.

Arnold blushed with embarrassment and nodded. "Y-yes… it was all my fault. You see, he was looking for a tribe of people that my parents had helped a long time ago and assumed that I knew where they were. In reality, I knew just as much as he did. He didn't believe me so he locked everyone up." He then turned to his best friend and smiled. "Luckily, Helga and Gerald got me out of there and we found the tribe along with my long lost parents."

Gerald placed his arm around his friend and smiled. "Of course I would help you, buddy. Even if you did keep your plan a secret from me."

Lila noticed that someone in particular was not currently present in the group and she looked around. "Where is Helga?" She asked, slowly rising from her seat to get a better view of the cafeteria. The girl in question was sitting at the farthest table possible, with her head rested on the table. "Is she not feeling well today?"

That was when Arnold noticed that she had no lunch. A large rock fell into the pit of his stomach, causing his nerves to betray him and make his body feel weak. Oh no! I forgot that she doesn't get free lunch and we didn't pack her one! He thought dreadfully. Slowly the boy backed up, "I-I'll go check…" He said nervously; looking between his group of friends.

The girl gave him a curious look before sitting down and accepting his kind gesture. "Sure thing Arnold, I do hope she's okay."

Without a second to pass, Arnold walked over to the girl who seemed to be sleeping.

Helga's stomach growled loudly as she damned everything and everyone around her. Hunger didn't usually bother her but with her meals becoming smaller and smaller, it seemed that her body was finally revolting against her in a painful manner. She moaned softly unaware of the sudden onlooker.

"H-helga?" called out Arnold's voice.

Helga moved her arm a little and looked up at the boy with the oddly shaped head. He would normally be a sight for her sore eyes, however right now she had zero energy to even feel the least bit excited. "What?" She hissed out sharply.

Arnold rubbed the back of his head then looked between his talkative group of friends and the girl before him. "Why didn't you remind me to get you a packed lunch?" He asked with a hushed tone.

"What are you, my keeper?" Helga growled before turning her head and facing away from him. "I'll live."

Guilt continued to eat at the boy as he heard the poor girl's stomach protest loudly. "I've already told you that it's my job to take care of you… why won't you let me?"

"Isn't reminding you to feed me a little pathetic?" She replied, "Besides it's not like this is my first time without a lunch. If you recall, this happens very often. I'm used to it. Now go fawn over Miss Perfect with the rest of the rejects over there and leave me alone."

Arnold frowned and knew there was no use in arguing with her right now. If he continued, it would only draw attention to them and that was the last thing she needed. "Fine…" He whispered quietly before walking off.

As soon as Helga knew he was back in his troupe, she turned her head back into his direction. Everyone seemed so disgustingly happy to have her back and it made Helga's insides churn even more. "Just what's so good about her anyway? She's just you're average, sweet and innocent bimbo. She's not good at sports, is average in class, and just look at them! Fawning over her as if she was one of those side show dogs." She sighed and gazed upon her blond beauty. "Is everything just going to go back to normal now? Sure, Arnold's said wonderful things to me; things too wonderful to be true." She could see how he smiled at her and gave a soft giggle to whatever Lila was saying. "She's everything he wants… not me. He probably just sees me as his next charity case; just another kid in the neighborhood with personal problems that he feels compelled to help. That stupid, selfless idiot…. I wonder how long it will take for him to get sick and tired of me and run back to little Miss Wonderful."

Watching as each kid took turn asking Lila questions, she noticed even Phoebe was entwined with the crowd; giggling and laughing with them all. Her heart began to throb until she decided that enough was enough. Without so much as a glance from anyone, Helga got up and left the noisy cafeteria for something quieter: the empty classroom.

As everyone exited the lunch room and made it into the class, Helga woke up from her small insignificant dream. She had gotten a few looks from various people and just growled at them and showed them her fist before they could even say a word. It didn't take long for everyone to arrive and take their seats so Mr. Simmons could continue with the lesson plan. She listened and took notes best she could but the only thing on her mind was getting back to the boarding house and taking a shower. The smell of soot still lingered in her hair and only made her remember her reality and become nauseous. Even if she did take a shower, what would she change into? All her clothes besides the one on her were gone.

"Alright class," Mr. Simmons spoke as he looked at the large clock above the door and grabbed a large bundle of papers. "It's almost time for Nurse Shelley to arrive. She has given me a few packets to hand out to everyone so please take a stack and pass it to the person behind you.

The class began to talk amongst each other and did what they were told. A hand shot up from the group to grab the teacher's attention. "I apologize Mr. Simmons, but I am ever so lost. You will not be teaching our class?"

Mr. Simmons gasped and placed a hand to his mouth as he realized his mistake. "Oh, I'm so sorry Lila but I forgot to inform you and your father about this extra special class."

"What is it?" She asked wearily to him and the class.

"It's a class about drugs and boobies!" Harold shouted as he stood up.

Mr. Simmons put his hand up to his temple and rubbed the frustration away gently. "No… Harold, it's not."

"It's a class about the natural occurrences of our bodies along with the study of harmful substances we might come in contact with later in the future." Phoebe clarified with a push of her glasses.

"That's what I said!" Harold cried with a pout as he slouched in his chair and mumbled under his breath.

"Oh my… I see." Lila smiled, "That does sound ever so interesting."

Mr. Simmons frowned and rubbed his large bald spot on his head. "Unfortunately Lila, until we get permission from your father we are unable to allow you to take the class." He said apologetically. "But don't worry. I will give you a permission slip before you go home so you can hopefully join us next time. In the meantime, why not go to the library and use this hour to catch up with the material you've missed."

Arnold raised his hand almost as if on cue and stood up. "I'd be happy to give her my notes, Mr. Simmons."

"Very good, Arnold!" The older man smiled. "That would be very much appreciated."

"I'd be happy to give her my notes!" Helga mocked him in a high pitched whiny voice, causing the class to chorus in laughter. She gave the boy a sly smirk and turned away.

Giving her a small scowl, he collected his notebooks and handed them to his newly returned friend. "Here you go, Lila. I hope you can read my hand writing…" He said, a little bashfully.

"Oh don't worry Arnold." Lila replied with a sweet smile as she took the notebooks from him. "Your handwriting is very legible and I'm ever so certain that I'll be able to read it just fine."

Arnold could hear a small growl from Helga's seat and ignored it. If she wanted to be petty and act like a bully for the class's sake, he knew that, that was her choice but she would get no special treatment if that was the case. "Actually, I have a better idea." The young man said as he turned to the teacher. "Since she has missed so much, maybe my notes might be a little confusing for her. Would it be okay if I miss this one class to help her?"

Mr. Simmons face turned a little worried. "Oh that's not a bad idea Arnold but how will you catch up with what you missed? Remember, its recommended that you pass this class not only for your education, but your personal wellbeing as well."

"Don't worry. I'll give him my notes." Gerald chimed in.

With a large grin forming on the older man's face, he turned to Gerald. "Then it's settled. Arnold please accompany Miss Lila to the library and Gerald please take plenty of notes so Arnold won't be behind."

"No problemo, Mr. Simmons" Gerald said as he gave the sappy teacher a thumbs up.

Arnold walked over to the classroom door and held it open for the girl. She smiled softly and walked through it, him following on her tail.

"Looks like the little twerp is still head over heels for her!" Helga laughed out loud in spite of herself as she propped her shoes on her desk and leaned back, "How pathetic." She could feel herself becoming queasy at the thought of them together without her supervision. Should she suddenly become sick and follow them? No, that wouldn't work because the nurse was going to be here any minute to teach, and the substitute nurse probably wouldn't fall for Helga's schemes. Should she suddenly have to use the bathroom? The might work but it would be less suspicious if she pulled that in the middle of class, not the beginning. Ideas began to flow through Helga's head but ultimately she couldn't find a perfect excuse to her liking.

The door opened again and the jolly nurse stepped in and smiled. "I'm sorry I'm late students." She said with a small chuckle. "Someone had a major nosebleed and needed to be cleaned up right away." The woman quickly set her teaching supplies on Mr. Simmons desk, and bid him a farewell as he exited the classroom in route to the teacher's lounge for a much needed break. "Now then, today's class we will be focusing on what to do and what not to do in an uncomfortable situation involving illegal substances…"

Nurse Shelley pulled out a few laminated pictures that looked like they had been photocopied from the school library and secured them to the board for all the students to see. "In this picture, we have a boy asking another boy if he would like some drugs." She explained as she tapped on the picture. "And in this other picture, we can see the boy politely declining the offer. This is the right way to handle the situation." Moving on to the next picture, she pointed out that the boy offering drugs became pushy, "Someone might try to convince you otherwise and tell you that these drugs will make you happy, or smarter or maybe even make other kids like you but under no circumstances should you allow anyone to pressure you into taking drugs, even if you think it will make you look cool."

Helga snorted at the woman's remark. "Or you could just tell them to buzz off or you'll kick them into next week."

Nurse Shelley turned around and looked firmly at the young girl. "Two wrongs do not make a right, Miss Pataki. If the situation gets ugly I must stress that you are to exit that situation as soon as possible and report it to a teacher, police officer or if neither are around, the nearest adult you can find. It's best to be safe than sorry." She finished with a wink, earning a look of disgust from her pupil.

"What if they threaten to kill you with a knife?!" Harold called out from the front of the class.

"Yeah!" Sid agreed as he rose up from his chair to be seen, "What if you can't get away?"

Nurse Shelley calmly placed her hands on Harold's desk. "Then and only then would you be allowed to defend yourself physically; self defense should only ever be used as a last resort."

More questions popped up, one after another as Helga groaned in boredom and casually glanced over at the clock. Criminy, just 47 more minutes to go and I am outta here…

Arnold and Lila entered the quiet library and found a place to sit with little trouble as there were no other students occupying the room, just a silent librarian with his nose in a book. Arnold held out a chair for his female companion politely and she gladly took his offer with a smile. After making sure that she was comfortable, the gentlemanly boy sat down across from her and smiled. "I bet you're happy to be back home." He whispered.

Lila gave a small smile and nodded. "As much as I enjoy seeing my family, being away from kids my age was ever so difficult." She explained.

Arnold tilted his head in interest. "Kids your age?"

"Yeah…" She replied, as she began to twirl one of her braids within her fingers. "All of my cousins are much older than me and it's ever so uncomfortable. We just don't have a lot in common and finding any sort of common ground is… well… rather difficult."

"Oh… I see." Arnold frowned understandingly as he too understood what it was like to be surrounded by adults and being the only child. "I guess it is sorta awkward when you're surrounded by adults all the time." Deciding to give the conversation a happier note, Arnold continued. "But at least you were there to see your Aunt get better, right!" He grinned.

Lila's face expression turned off for a slight second before mimicking his grin. "Right!" She replied happily. "My father and I were very happy to see her and I'm sure she is very happy now!"

Unsure of what to make of the off feeling, Arnold decided to dismiss it and get on with the notes. He pushed it notebook in the middle of the table and waited for her to get out her own supplies in order to copy. "Well, I guess we better make use of the time we have to catch you up on school work now." He smiled, "Luckily most of what we've covered was just a basic refresher from before the summer but there has been a few new things added that might confuse you."

The girl flipped through his pages and began to copy down the things that seemed new or important. "It seems like I have ever so much to catch up on…" She sighed quietly.

Arnold couldn't help but become concerned as the girl in front of him was very rarely pessimistic. "Not too much, Lila. Just a few classes here and there. You'll catch up in no time!" He pushed enthusiastically but quietly enough to not be scolded by the only other person present.

"No Arnold, that's not quite what I meant…" She replied, flipping over a page of her own note book and bulleting a new subject. The two allowed ample time to pass before Lila picked her head back up from her concentration and gazed at the boy with an intrigued look. "I mean the class, Arnold. Everyone seems so… different now."

"What do you mean?" Arnold asked; leaning back in his chair and concentrating on the topic.

Lila nervously began to twirl her braid again in her fingers, "I don't know, Arnold; it just seems that the air around everyone is so much different now… but I suppose that's normal due to all the hardships you all went through while I was gone. I have to say that I'm ever so disappointed to not be able to experience the jungle with you all."

Seeing where she was coming from, the boy couldn't help but frown. If their shoes had been on the others feet, he too would have been pretty bummed to not have been involved with everyone. "I get what you're saying." He replied; scratching the back of his neck. "And unfortunately, we don't have many pictures either as most of our stuff got destroyed on the trip. All we have left are the before and after photos taken at the airport by Mr. Simmons and my Grandpa."

"I suppose I just feel a little… left out, is all." Lila finished before placing her hand on top of the worried boy's. "But don't worry, Arnold. I'm ever so certain that the more time passes around you all; I will get back to where I feel I belong. You all are always so welcoming."

"Right." Arnold agreed, slowly removing his hand from hers. Although he knew that she only liked him, he couldn't help but feel a little awkward and uncomfortable at her bold show of friendly affection. He knew very well that the one Lila like-liked was his cousin Arnie.

A few more silent moments passed while Lila copied down more information. Once in a while she would point out something she didn't understand and the boy would explain it the best he could, causing the atmosphere to go back to normal. Arnold was beginning to recall why he enjoyed the girls company so much. Compared to others, she didn't make him feel silly or judged. She just had this way about her that was so accepting and casual. There might have been a time in his life where he felt lonely or nervous around her; however he couldn't help but notice that those feelings had completely passed and she had just become a normal friend once more.

The quiet in the room started to become a little overwhelming for the boy, even as he pondered to himself. He then realized that after she had come back from her own trip, Lila hadn't talked much about her experiences, especially compared to that of them in San Lorenzo. Figuring a little exchange would be good, Arnold spoke up. "Besides being the youngest there and your Aunt getting better, did anything else happen while you were gone?" He asked as she watched her scribble some things down before giving a small jump to the question but not answering, "Lila?"

"Oh, I'm ever so sorry Arnold," The girl replied as she picked her head up with a small smile, "What was the question again? I seemed to have been very focused on what I was writing and missed that."

"I asked if there was anything you wanted to share about your trip, you know, exciting or something?" He reiterated.

Lila placed a finger on her cheek and tilted her head to the side. "Hmmm, not that I can think of..." She replied before promptly going back to her to work. "It was mostly just family gatherings and recalling old times passed."

"Did you learn any new jokes or anymore funny stories?" Arnold asked, trying to get anything out of her. He couldn't help but feel a little suspicious of her unwillingness to become open with him. Never could he think of a time that she didn't have some fun family story to tell the others, so why not now?

"No, not that I can recall…" She answered as she scribbled more words down in the notebook before turning another page.

"How about-" But before Arnold could continue, Lila interrupted him.

"I'm sorry Arnold, but I think it would be ever so wise if we utilized this time for me to focus on my studies. It's not every day that we're allowed this time during class to catch up and it would make me ever so happy to be at the class's current level." She explained with an oddly firm voice.

Unable to really argue with her, but feeling more suspicious and concerned than ever, Arnold agreed. "Okay. Sorry about that, Lila."

"It is most okay!" She reassured him before continuing her work. "Now, how do you work this equation here? I'm finding it quite difficult to maneuver around these decimals and fractions."

Arnold leaned over the table and began to explain the formula given and started to step her through the process, meanwhile pushing the nagging feeling of uncertainty to the pit of his stomach to contemplate later.

Helga had had enough. She could no longer sit idly by while her soul mate fraternized with the enemy. Raising her hand, Helga proceeded to aggressively insist on needing to use the restroom right there and now, gaining some odd looks from her peers and responding with a growl. Nurse Shelley gladly accepted and offered the young girl a hall pass, knowing full well of her bodily conditions. "Just hurry back as soon as you can. We're going to watching a video soon!"

"Oh joy…" Helga responded before snatching the hall pass out of the large woman's hands and booking it out of the classroom.

As Helga sped on down the hallway, images of possible situations flashed in her mind of how the two of them might be. Them laughing and sharing intimate stories, Them hugging over the turmoil that Arnold had to face in the jungle while we was out gallivanting with her ever so perfect family, Their faces becoming so close as they feel their bodies beginning to yearn for one another until… until… until! Helga couldn't bear the thought of sharing the boy's lips with anyone else and didn't want to waste another second.

"No running in the halls!" A fourth grader shouted at her as she sped past him, almost knocking the poor boy down. No one besides Phoebe had ever been able to compare to her reign of terror when she was hall monitor, especially not some wimpy kid with curly brown hair and freckles.

"Move it or lose it, geek bait!" She shouted back before turning the corner. She was so close to the library she could taste the musty books in her direction. Now all that stood in her way was some wood and glass. Dare she look through the translucent barrier? Anxiety rushed through the young pre-teens body as she placed her back up against the wall next to the door. Her heart pounded in her throat and she could feel her saliva becoming thick and nearly impossible to swallow, but demanding passage through her narrowing throat in which her heart seem to house itself. Steady, Helga ol' girl. I'm sure he's just reading a book while she copies his notes. No funny business, nothing strange… Helga tried to calm herself as she focused on steadying her breathing. After all, this is Arnold we're talking about. He's about as daring as a bowl of pudding. He'd never try anything with precious little Lila, and besides she only likes him, not like-likes him! But it seemed no matter what she said to coach herself before looking into that room; she couldn't seem to stop the quaking within her. If I don't calm down at this rate, I will actually need to use to bathroom so buckle down, Pataki and face your fears. Just peek through that window and we'll feel so much better! Swallowing hard, Helga looked up and down the hallway to make sure she couldn't see nor hear anyone who might catch her before slowly raising her head and peering through the small rectangular window.

"So you see; if you're trying to convert fractions into decimals or the other way around, all you have to do is think of the whole number. One fourth of a dollar is a quarter, right? A quarter is worth twenty five cents so one fourth of one is actually .25. Get it?" Arnold explained as his body stretched across the table as he drew the example on her notebook.

"Wow, Arnold. I never thought of it like that! You're ever so smart!" Lila praised as she took the pencil back from him in order to try a hand at the math herself. "What about other fractions like one fifth or two fifths?" She asked carefully.

"Those are a bit harder but I'll try to give you some good examples…" The boy replied with a little thought. "Let's see… if you do this…"

Helga watched as Arnold stretched his form across the old table as he tutored the charming farm girl and began to grind her teeth. Why did he have to be so close to her? Why did he have to write things down for her? Wasn't she capable of doing her own work? And how was this copying his notes anyway?! It seemed like Arnold was going above and beyond to do all the work for her! As expected from a goody two-shoes like him but… Helga's heart began to slow down as doubt started to creep up from behind her and place its dark moldy hands on her shoulder. She could see their expressions, even from that far away. They looked… happy. It was a different sort of happy compared to him playing baseball with the gang or sharing some advice to another female like Rhonda. She couldn't quite place it but her eyes refused to stare any longer. Prying herself away from the door, Helga sulked her way to the girl's room and buried herself in the stall. Sitting her fully clothed body on top of the gaping toilet, she crossed her arms over her knees and stared down at her feet. What would she do now? Was this the sign to resume status quo and go back to how everything was before? Everything was back to normal. Arnold could now continue fawning over this perfect pre-teen miss and she could go back into the shadows where she belonged… but she also knew that Arnold was always true to his word. I need to be able to trust him but… it's so HARD! She screamed in her head. Stupid feelings! Stupid thoughts! Stupid impulsive actions that only lead to my demise! Curse my wretched soul for pouring myself out to him and leaving myself unguarded! I only have myself to blame for this horrible feeling. Helga felt as a strong tickle inside her nostrils that lead to her eyes becoming moist. Everything felt so stupid. She felt stupid. If I could only learn to trust him then I wouldn't have gone over to the library. I wouldn't have spied on him. I shouldn't HAVE to spy on him! He's never really given me a reason to; I've only ever created reasons to inside my head for my own desires. Arnold wouldn't say or done those meaningful things on a whim… that's not like him and I know it. If ANYONE knows Arnold best, it's the girl who's been stalking him day and night for the last decade! Feeling her self doubt start to chip away, she could feel herself becoming strong again. Arnold isn't about lies and deceit. He wouldn't make up feelings to make someone feel better, or offer his lips to just anyone- nor has he ever. Arnold is MINE and I can't let myself get all girly and mopey over this. No, I'm a Pataki and Pataki's are fighters until the day they die! I worked way too hard to give all this up to little miss perfect and her stupid barnyard stories! Helga's doubt was finally gone and broke away into determination with a slight hint of rage.

The bell for schools end rang and Helga stood up and pushed aside the bathroom stalls door. It's time to take back what's mine and do it the old fashioned way. No tricks and no games! She thought as she pushed through the line of girls that were beginning to flood the bathroom. "Get outta my way!" She shouted at them, earning scowls and hissing remarks but Helga didn't care.

Helga marched her way back over to the library just was Arnold and Lila were leaving the library. He was holding the door open politely for her with that stupid goofy smile on his face that made Helga's blood boil. She could see his face expression change from a glimmering smile to somewhat horrified as she approached them. Grabbing the door out of his hands and slamming it behind Lila's back, she pointed her finger accusingly at Lila's face before using her other hand to grab Arnolds. "Listen sister, I don't know what you think you're doing but it's not working here, you got that?"

"Why H-helga, whatever are you referring to?" Lila stuttered as she looked between Helga's angry expression and Arnolds now panicked one.

"Don't play innocent! You had your chance and you gave it up for some bland, lame brain country hick who collects lint and likes plain flavored gum. Live with your decision and back off!" Helga howled.

Arnold grabbed his hand back once he heard her last remark, causing her to change her glare from her to him. "Helga, you were right there when I offered my help to her when class was about to start, why are you blaming her?"

"Oh don't think you're off the hook either, bucko." She replied; crossing her arms and looking the boy up and down. "I saw the hand you played back in class. I knew what you were up to and you're just as guilty as she is! Offering your help to little miss perfect because you're just that good natured kind of guy but in disguise of getting back at me for my pranks from earlier? I thought you learned from your mistakes of fighting fire with fire! It only leads to you getting burned more."

Lila began to feel hesitant and insecure the more Helga raged and felt herself backing up for her own safety. "Helga, I'm ever so certain this is just a misunderstanding. You should know more than anyone that I've always supported you in your affections for Arnold…"

Hearing Lila's words took Arnold by surprised as he looked between the two females. Had she really known of Helga's feelings for him all this time?

"Yeah well it sure didn't look that why while you two were in the library! Getting all cozy together! I might as well say get a room but hey- looks like you beat me to the punch!" Helga replied, almost immediately regretting her words as she finished speaking them. Crap! I just outted myself! I gotta think of a good lie to get myself out of this!

"Were you… were you spying on us?!" Arnold demanded to know with a very angry and disappointed look on his face. He thought she was finally beginning to lighten up but he guessed he was wrong.

"Oh you'd like that, wouldn't you Football Head!" Helga spat back, still thinking of what excuse to come up with.

"Then how would you know if we were getting cozy, when we definitely weren't?" Arnold asked, still not budging.

"Arnold was just helping me with math Helga, honest." Lila continued to plead their defense.

"B-because…. Because…" Helga hesitated until finding something a little plausible. "Because I had to use the bathroom and just happened to walk by the library and see you two!"

The young man crossed his arms, doubtful of the girl. "Uh huh… You walked all the way to the bathroom near the library when there is a much closer one down the hall from our classroom? Give it up Helga and stop lying already!"

Feeling cornered, Helga's nostrils flared up as he accused her but immediately backed herself up. "I'll have you know that this bathroom happens to be my favorite bathroom because of how unoccupied it normally is! Not like I'm trying to rush back to that joke of a class anyhow, why not take my time!"

Arnold rolled his eyes and sighed in annoyance, still unable to believe her. "Whatever you say Helga…"

The three of them listened to the usual commotion which occupied the halls from the various students gathering their things from their lockers and talking amongst their friends. Lila scratched the side of her arm nervously as she wasn't sure what to do anymore. There was nothing more she could say about Arnold helping her that would calm Helga's rage, and there was no defense that she could give for Helga that would do any good… She felt completely useless in their quarrel and defaulted to her usual smile.

"Thanks so much for the help Arnold." She said to him, finally breaking their awkward silence. "I'll review everything you showed me when I get home. And Helga," She continued, causing the unstable female to glance at her from the corner of her eye. "I'm ever so sorry that you took Arnold helping me the wrong way. He was most gentlemanly and our friendship has and will always be platonic…" Lila slowly backed up as she felt more of Helga's gaze on her, causing her to sweat a little. "I'm not exactly sure what happened between you two over the summer, but I'm ever so certain that you'll be able to work out this little misunderstanding in due time. Well then… I should get going!" and without delay, the delightful girl spun around and casually walked towards the mass of students that eventually blurred her out of the couples sight.

Having a colorful mix of emotions battling it out inside the young man, Arnold turned towards his fuming partner and tried to think of what to say at this point. He was disappointed that she spied on him, angry that she accused not only him but Lila as well who was an innocent in this whole dispute, sad that Helga felt the need to not only spy but lie to him, and frustrated that this all had to happen. He had already said his piece and decided it would be best if they just went home. Maybe the walk would clear his mind of all the negativity and leave him with something more constructive to tell her.

Meanwhile, Helga's feelings of dominance and rage began to subside as it left the two of them standing in the hallway. She regretted the way she went about showing their relationship off to Lila, but at the same time did not. She stood her ground, made her feelings obvious to the both of them and hopefully nothing like this would ever happen again, right? Sure, Arnold was mad but he'd get over it and all in all, this would benefit them both, right? At least, this is what she wanted to believe.

"Let's just go home." Arnold finally spoke, turning away from her and slowly walking towards the schools exit.

Helga didn't respond and hesitated for a moment before following a moment before following suit.


	22. Chapter 22

Commotion from the scene that had unfolded in the bustling hallway of P.S 118 began to spread from student to student, each with different things to say as well as varied accounts. The wind of the people eventually made its way to Gerald and Phoebe’s ears, who stood silently and watched as their best friends exited the school. They looked at each other with both concern and disappointment, knowing how the other felt.

Gerald crossed his arms and shook his head. “Just when will those two learn to get along?”

Phoebe frowned and looked back towards the school’s large metal doors. “Although it’s normal for relationships to have their ups and downs, I do agree that they have them more often than most… however, that’s not necessarily a bad thing,” she explained.

“Come again?” Gerald raised an eyebrow at his girlfriend’s odd opinion.

“Well you see, it’s proven that the more conflicts in a relationship people have actually helps build a stronger one as wrinkles get ironed out over time—so to speak. Of course, if two people prove to be too different or expect too much from the other person, then they’ll undoubtedly break up in the end. They can either work together to create an understanding, thus building a strong bond or find they’re unwilling to move and break.”

“So you actually think fighting is… good?” Gerald understood what she was trying to say, however when he repeated the theory out loud, it still sounded a bit ridiculous to him.

Phoebe took the boy’s hand and squeezed it softly. “Not excessive fighting, but a few quarrels here and there can be quite beneficial,” she said with a smile, hoping he saw the bigger picture.

The two exchanged small glances of affection before leaving.

“Yeah, well I just wonder what she could have done now to make Arnold so mad.” Gerald decided to continue on the conversation. “It’s not every day I see him so flustered, even with Helga.”

Gerald’s bold accusation struck a nerve in the small girl that she did her best to ignore, as she understood the statement came out of concern even if they were both unaware of the conditions which caused the fight to begin with. “Why are you so sure Helga’s the one who caused the fight?”

“Are you serious, babe?” Gerald asked with a small laugh of disbelief. “You do know who we’re talking about, right? That girl’s always starting problems.”

The ignorance in his voice only caused Phoebe to take back her hand. “I’m very aware that she can be unreasonable and stubborn, however neither of us know what exactly happened except for what we heard in the hallway. For all we know, Arnold could have unintentionally done something inconsiderate that hurt her feelings which caused her to lash out,” she retorted firmly. “How Lila came into the mix is well beyond me but with Helga’s feelings of insecurity, I’m certain that her being there only made things worse.”

“Arnold was helping Lila catch up with school notes… How could he have done anything wrong except be a good friend and classmate? Heck, if he didn’t do it, I would have volunteered as well just to get out of that class… it’s not very comfortable to sit there and have Nurse Shelley explain saying no to drugs,” Gerald argued, feeling a little hurt that she had taken back her hand as he placed his in his pant pockets.

Phoebe remained quiet for a moment to think of an alternate scenario to where Gerald would have to put himself in her best friend’s shoes. Once an acceptable one came to mind, she cleared her voice. “Alright then, how would you feel if I asked Jamie-O for tutoring sessions?”

“You? Needing help with school?” Gerald laughed. “And asking Jamie-O of all people? Let’s be serious here.”

“I am being serious and I’d like a serious answer,” the girl replied, unmoving.

“Well why wouldn’t you ask me for help if you needed it? Why him?” Gerald continued to ask, now feeling a little uncomfortable with the question.

“Maybe it’s something along the lines of sports history, something he might be good in,” Phoebe suggested. “However the topic really isn’t the point I’m getting at. How would it make you feel?”

Not liking the question one bit, Gerald flared his nostrils and grunted. “I’d be kinda upset that you went to my older brother for help instead of me.”

“And what if I happened to have affectionate feelings for him in the past, and you were aware of that even after knowing I reached out to him? You would be very displeased, would you not?” Phoebe continued, hoping that her hint was getting across.

Letting out a defeated sigh, Gerald turned to her with a face of discontent. “Look, I get what you’re trying to say but this is Arnold we’re talking about. I’d expect my brother to make a move on you but Arnold? He may be a bold kid but he doesn’t strike me as someone who would cheat, especially if it caused the wrath of Helga. G Pataki. My man isn’t stupid.”

“That may be so, but however innocent his actions may have been when offering his help to Lila, it doesn’t change the fact that he did once seek her to be his girlfriend and naturally him offering to give his undivided attention to her might stir up feelings of insecurity inside Helga.” Phoebe gave Gerald an empathetic look as she imagined how her best friend might have felt. “Not to mention what she’s already going through?”

“But we also don’t know if that’s even what happened. For all you know, she could have decided to take her aggression out on Lila just because she’s having a bad day, which then caused Arnold to get mad. It’s not like this would be the first time she took out her anger on someone that wasn’t the root of her problem,” Gerald firmly suggested, recounting all the times she pushed and shoved people out of her way simply because she was in a bad mood.

Phoebe’s upper lip stiffened as her emotions became the better of her. She knew very well that Gerald didn’t always think highly of Helga; however she also didn’t pin him as the type to be ignorant. Unsure if he was just trying her patience or if he actually believed that Helga would do something so aggressive to an innocent person that it might threaten the relationship she’s longed for most of her life, Phoebe let out a flustered noise. “As much as I understand wanting to stick up for your best friend, your inability to look at the larger picture is becoming intolerable and I think it might be best if I walked home by myself today,” she explained in a calm and collected manner.

Feeling shocked and rejected, Gerald decided to mask his feelings by crossing his arms and looking angry. “Fine then.” He snorted. “It might be better if I go on ahead to Arnold’s house anyway just to save him from whatever he got himself into.”

The words—whatever he got himself into—played in Phoebe’s mind a few times, only fueling her frustrations and giving her the go ahead to feel the way she did at this moment. “Alright. Goodnight then, Gerald. I will see you tomorrow at school,” she replied simply.

“Okay. Goodnight then,” Gerald responded back, mimicking her reply with a sharp tone.

He watched as the small girl turned around and began to walk another route, assuming it was just to get away from him. It burned him inside that she wouldn’t listen to reason especially with the record Helga had. Arnold doing something inconsiderate? That boy thinks about others’ feelings way before he thinks of himself and that’s how he ends up in most of his problems! You just don’t know the boy like I do, babe… He may not be innocent all the time but I highly doubt this is on him.., he thought dejectedly before turning around himself and heading towards Arnold’s boarding house.

 

The steady walk home between the couple in question was quiet and thick with complex emotions. Neither of them said a word to each other, as neither of them really knew what to say. Arnold replayed the scenario again and again in his mind and tried to find even a small window to where things could have ended peacefully, but unfortunately the outcome always would remain the same so long as Helga didn’t trust him. Did she want things to change between them at school? Or did she want to remain the same basic bully that she always played herself out to be? Both her previous actions and words seem to always contradict themselves and only caused the young man to become further and further confused. Should he have outright told Lila about their relationship himself? Would that have even made a difference? Should being in a relationship with Helga really mean that he had to pick and choose who he was friends with as well as how he was friends with them? As much as he wanted her to trust him, it seemed absolutely unfair to think that he had to stop helping out or being friends with Lila simply because she felt jealous over a past flame.

Helga’s heart began to tremble as she repetitively glanced at the back of Arnold’s head and the ground below her. He was so quiet and it felt like her world was slowly skidding to a stop. Just what was he thinking in that large oblong head of his? Was he seriously so mad that he wasn’t going to talk to her at all? Sure, she knew she had made him mad plenty of times in the past but that big lug always found it in his heart to forgive her so why would this be any different? Besides, he was the one who decided to have a flirty one on one tutor session with Lila while she stay stuck in Health class having to silently deal with the dread and doubt in her head. Just how did he think she would feel? Did he even consider it? Was Lila really all that special that she was all he could think about now and Helga was left on the back burner? The thought caused her throat to feel as if air was becoming thin and her head swam.

As they both walked up the steps to the Sunset Arms, one thing became certain. Everything was messed up and although they both wanted to fix it, they couldn’t think of how.

Arnold turned the doorknob and quickly moved out of the way to let the flood of animals egress. As he did so, he managed to capture a glimpse of Helga’s forlorn expression as she dealt with her physical ill feelings. Swallowing hard and wishing things were different; he turned back around and walked inside his home, holding the door open for her to safely walk inside.

Helga stared at him lost for a moment, before taking his invite and walking inside herself. Only seconds later they were approached by his parents who seemed very happy to see them.

“Welcome back, you two! Did you guys have a good day at school?” Miles smiled as he bent down and hugged his son, not reading the room at all.

“It was pretty… normal,” Arnold replied quietly as the air was being squished out of him.

“Oh and Helga, I have some good news!” Stella said as she placed her hands of her hips. “While you two were gone, Miles and I set up the extra bedroom. That way you could have a comfortable sleep while you’re staying with us.”

“Yipee…” Helga replied, unenthused.

Completely unfazed, Stella took both the preteens’ backpacks and hung them up in the closet. “Now go ahead and make yourself at home, the room is all the way down the hall on your right, room 18,” she said before reaching into her pocket and pulling out a small key and handing it to Helga. “You can’t miss it.”

“How can I make myself at home when I don’t own anything anymore?” Helga asked bluntly, causing the delightful woman to halt for a moment.

Carefully thinking, Stella smiled again. “When something ends, something else begins anew. Take this room as a fresh start and make it whatever type of home you want it to be, even if it’s temporary.”

Helga’s mind immediately went to the fact that she still hadn’t had a proper shower in what seemed like ages, as well as having no clean clothes to change into. “If you say so,” she replied as she took the key and headed upstairs, causing the two males to watch her as she went.

Miles scratched the top of his blond head and stared up at her in confusion. “Is she always this moody?” he asked his son.

Arnold let out an exasperated sigh, feeling as if he could let all the wind out of his body and collapse on the floor just to take the load of his body that he was still currently carrying. “Sometimes.”

“Women,” Miles responded with a friendly wink and nudge to his boy, causing his wife to give him a glare.

“I’m sure she has many reasons to feel a little grumpy, boys. I wouldn’t take it too personally,” she said thoughtfully, wishing there was more she could do to help the poor young girl in her time of need.

The small family reunion was then interrupted by a small knock on the door. Turning to it curiously, Arnold opened it up to find Suzie Kokoshka standing there with a cheerful look about her. It had been sometime since she had moved out of the boarding house in hopes of starting a better life someplace else without her now ex-husband’s problems looming over her.

“Hello, Arnold! Nice to see you again!” she greeted politely.

“Hi Suzie, what brings you here?” Arnold asked before opening up the door wider to let the woman in.

“Oh, there are just a few things Oskar and I have to sort out, as well as a few things I realized I left here. Nothing big,” she replied casually, despite the dread she was feeling knowing that once she walked up those stairs and knocked on that door, her ex-husband was going to plead and cry for her to come back.

“Oh, alright then. Oskar should be in his room,” Arnold said as he watched the woman head to the staircase leading to the second floor.

“Yes, him and Dad just finished playing a game of backgammon,” Miles added, before giving a weak smile and chuckle. “Although I’m not sure I can count that as really playing…”

“Oh I’m sure Phil caught him cheating again and ended the game soon after it started,” Suzie said as she continued up the staircase. “Classic Oskar.”

The parents grimly looked between themselves as they could only image what being married to that man would have been like. Phil had told them stories and none of them were very nice, making them wonder why he still let the selfish man still live there.

“Good luck!” called out Arnold as he gave a small wave before she disappeared between the floors.

 

Helga opened her bedroom and took a good look around. It was small and dingy with a strong scent of some sort of lemon cleaner in the air. She could see where they had fixed up a few things like the windows and some floorboards as well as possibly getting a new/old dresser. What good was it anyhow? She had no clothes to put in it.

Flopping herself down on the small twin sized bed; she felt it spring to life and almost throw her off. “Criminy!” she shouted, steadying herself. She took a deep breath and realized that the room was much too stuffy and opened up one of the windows. At first it resisted her due to a freshly dried coat of paint; however it eventually gave way and let a soft breeze waft in. It was the end of September and was soon giving way to autumn. Helga liked autumn the best as it cooled down from being swelteringly hot, the annoying bugs all died, and a few important holidays were getting closer.

The window didn’t have a very good view, as it was adjacent to the building next door, but she had a rather good spying view if she wanted to watch the neighbors eat dinner. Such riveting entertainment that would be.

Turning around, Helga placed her palms on the windowsill and leaned back towards the open air, viewing her new room some more. “Home, huh?” she said to herself in a flat tone. “I don’t even know what that word means anymore.”

Suddenly a knock on the door startled Helga’s contemplation. “What?!” she yelled out, signaling whoever was disturbing her to come in at their own risk.

The door slowly opened and Arnold’s grandmother allowed herself inside. “Hello there Eleanor,” she said as she walked in. “How are you finding the Presidential suite? It may not be up to your standards but I hope it will do in a pinch.”

Helga furrowed her brows at the name she was being addressed as again, and snorted in disgust. “Look lady, I don’t know who you think I am but my name isn’t Eleanor, it’s Helga.”

“Oh yes, yes, I know Eleanor,” Gerty replied as she shut the door behind her and gave the angry girl a blissful smile. She was used to Helga’s cruel demeanor but could easily sense there was something off. “Are the accommodations to your liking? What seems to be the trouble?”

“The accommodations are fine if you consider yourself homeless,” Helga said, crossing her arms. “So I guess I don’t have room to complain, do I?”

Gerty sat on the bed and patted the space next to her. “Sit down, dearie. Let’s talk.”

“Oh great, is it time to get advice from some old soul? I’ll pass,” the young girl stated with a huff.

“I can only imagine how you’re feeling right now and would like to lend a quiet ear,” Gerty continued, “but only if you’ll allow this ‘old soul’, so to speak. Maybe the First Lady could use a second opinion from the common folks’ eye.”

Knowing that the woman had no intention of backing down, Helga rolled her eyes and gave in. Sitting down next to the elder, she did her best to keep her thoughts in check. “If it will make you leave me alone, I’m listening.”

Nodding with a smile, Gerty took the moment to look the young woman up and down. “Being the First Lady is a very important job and definitely not one to take likely. Are the rebel forces at it again? Are the communists rising?!”

“What rebel forces? Speak English, lady,” Helga demanded, feeling at her wit’s end with this Alzheimer’s lingo.

“Oh you know, all those who oppose you and the President from being in office. Rumors and propaganda can really tear a couple apart but don’t let the paparazzi and bloodhounds get to ya. They’ll back off once you start making the necessary changes,” the grandmother replied, doing her best to clarify her meaning.

After mulling over the sentence for a second, Helga began to understand the double meaning to the woman’s words. I think she’s asking if me and Arnold are getting picked on at school…? Helga sighed, “No, the rebel forces are at bay… for now.”

“As I suspected, you’ve already laid a firm grasp on your role! Very expected of you, Eleanor,” Gerty said enthusiastically before calming down and becoming serious. “Then is there trouble in office already?”

Helga leaned back on the bed, causing it to creek and peered up at the popcorn ceiling above her. “Sure, I guess you could say there’s trouble in office.”

The old woman pondered for a moment. “I see. What seems to be the issue? Are your ideas and the President’s clashing? Or are those darn White House officials putting too much pressure on the two of you?”

Thinking of a way to formulate what had happened in the lingo that Gerty was using, Helga let out a groan. “Let’s say… The President and I had a falling out over how he’s handling internal affairs,” she started, feeling even more exhausted than when she got in the room. “I want to be open and honest with the people about the inner workings of the government, however the President seems to feel that everything’s on a need to know basis. While I totally agree that some things should remain hush-hush for the people’s sake, some things are best if told sooner than later, before the public misunderstands and thinks differently. Get it?”

“I totally agree!” Gerty shouted, standing up and planting her wrinkled feet on the floor. “The people deserve to know the truth! Why, how could we ever trust our leaders if we’re shielded all the time? There have already been too many shady politicians running things! Too long, I say!”

“Geez lady!” Helga said, startled at her sudden outburst. “Would you calm down already?”

Gerty placed a hand over her mouth. “Right! Internal affairs can be rather sensitive. My apologies, Eleanor,” she said, sitting down once more. “Please, continue.”

Hesitating a little bit and becoming unsure how stable this woman really was, Helga decided to proceed. “Whatever… Anyway, that’s really all it is. We had a disagreement. I think he’s betraying his role as President and leading his people on to believe what they want instead of telling them how it is. At least… certain people,” she said the last part sort of low enough to where her companion couldn’t quite make out. “Now it seems we are not on speaking terms.”

“That’s no good. A good President needs his First Lady,” Gerty mumbled to herself as she contemplated the complicated situation. Her face turned into a gentle smile and she placed her soft old hands down on Helga’s. “A strong hand will always need a kind heart to support it.”

“Huh?” Helga gawked, feeling a little awkward at the woman’s touch.

“Becoming such an important figurehead can be very hard on a couple, but I believe that the bond between the two of you is strong enough to withstand all the issues you’ll be facing… some harder than others,” Gerty continued. “Opinions may differ and conflicts will happen, but so long as you stay true to your bond and sort things out privately, I’m sure things will fix themselves in time. I do agree that telling the people the truth is most important, however I also agree in telling them the right way,” she spoke, almost hinting as if she knew there was more to the story than Helga led on. “Once something leaves your mouth, it’s always recorded by reporters and will wind up twisted in the tabloids in order to cause a rise in the people and you definitely don’t want that. You both ran your campaign too long and too hard to wind up ending the Presidency on some sort of impeachment due to common misconception. Talk to the President and I’m sure you’ll both come to some sort of agreement on how things should be handled. In the end, you two must work together in order to run this country successfully.”

Helga sat there in awe of the woman’s confusing yet completely understandable words. It was if she completely knew what happened and what Helga should do.

Gerty let herself up and walked to the door. “I’ll give you some time to think things over, Eleanor, but you’re a strong, smart woman. I have no doubt in my mind that things will work out,” she said with a wink before leaving.

 

A low melody of jazz music hummed throughout young Arnold’s room as he lay on his bed. He was still frustrated and confused at the turn of events, but most of all wanted to clear the air between Helga and himself. Hadn’t he just promised to help her and care for her? But at the same time, does that mean throwing away his personal feelings and beliefs for her sake? The boy rolled over and smothered his hair in the pillow beneath his head. Why did relationships have to be so complicated?

I just gotta think things through and logically.., he told himself in silence. I really care about her and I really do want her to be happy… Helga has been through so much bad in her life, I really want to bring some good in it, even if just a little bit, but how will that be possible if she twists the reality of things and believes what she wants? After feeling a little suffocated, Arnold rolled himself back over and stared off towards his computer in the far distance. She went out of her way to be a bully to me in school. That wasn’t fair, right? So if she wants to act like that then why is it bad for me to go out of my way to help a friend in need? That’s just as normal for me as bullying is for her, right? However, in his head he remembered his Grandpa’s wise words of not giving in to vengeful urges, which caused the boy to groan. I should have thought of how she was going to feel though… She’s trusted me with her insecurities and I seem to just be making them worse rather than better. If I had been helping Rhonda or Nadine, I bet she wouldn’t have reacted as bad as she did… but going so far as to spy on me? Would she have done that no matter who it was? Arnold thought; unaware of how much of a sport Helga had made in the past of spying on him and to what lengths. He then decided maybe he would find an answer better if he looked at their problem from a third person view. What if a friend of his came to him with the same problem, what advice would he give? Well first I would probably tell them to talk about how each other felt to find out the root of the problem. Next, they would have to come to a compromise in order for both parties to feel they are getting fair treatment. I know how I feel, and I know that Helga feels she can’t trust me around Lila because of my past feelings for her but… what sort of compromise could we come to from that? Not to hang out with her? Not to help her anymore? That’s unreasonable for me and unfair to Lila. Helga’s insecurities need to be helped but… how?

It was beginning to dawn on the young sage that he wouldn’t always have the answers, at least when it came to his own problems, yet he didn’t have the strength to go and seek out an opinion. Luckily for him, he heard his Grandpa calling his name from downstairs.

Arnold jumped up and opened his bedroom door. “Yeah Grandpa?”

Phil moved aside to show that Gerald was next to him. “Young Gerald is here to see you. Just showed up.”

“Hey man…” Gerald said with a slight smile. “You busy? I was hoping we could play catch in the park or something.”

“Ohhh, a game of catch in the park! That sounds nice, doesn’t it Arnold? Oh how I miss being young and playing catch in the park with my best friend Jimmy Kafka… of course he would end up missing my throw and blame me for bad aim but what does he know?!” Phil rambled on before heading on back down the staircase towards the living room.

“Sure Gerald, let me get my glove and baseball. I’ll be down in a minute,” Arnold said happily as this distraction might be what he needed. He headed back into his room, ran into his closet and pulled out his worn catcher’s glove and baseball before running down to meet his friend.

They made small talk and walked to the park, avoiding the one topic on their mind and doing their best to focus on the simple things. There were still a few more hours in the day left of good sunlight and the boys took this advantage to find a nice sunny spot with a freshly mowed lawn to start their back n forth.

“So what did you think of the newest episode of Pop Daddy? Man, I thought it was crazy how he had to go through such lengths just to capture that guy!” Gerald called out, remembering his favorite part. “And just when he thought he was gonna get away; he got outted by his old crew? Shows you gotta be true to where you came from.”

Arnold frowned and threw his baseball to Gerald. “Sorry Gerald, I’ve had a lot going on that I totally forgot that the new episode was last weekend. I’ll have to watch it when it reruns.”

“You missed a great one, man, but I’m sure it will play again soon,” Gerald replied, tossing the ball back at his friend. “They’ve been slowing down on episodes so they rerun more often. I hope they’re not thinking of ending it.”

“They couldn’t do that; the show has way too many fans!” Arnold said, tossing the ball back at his friend again.

“I dunno, man. You remember how they suddenly ended ‘Yo Alfred’ last year? And on a cliffhanger no less…. Crazy things happen.” Gerald frowned, tossing it back. “If the network thinks it’s losing its edge, sometimes they kick off really good shows. Pop Daddy’s been around for 3 years now- almost 4!”

Arnold caught the ball and stood still for a moment, using his bare hand to feel the smoothness of the surface as well as the bumps of each stitch. Three and four years ago, everything was a lot simpler. The only problems he ever faced were being forced to eat one of his Grandma’s new concoctions she wanted to test on people. His life consisted of friends, cereal, and cartoons after school. “That seems like it was just yesterday, doesn’t it?” Arnold asked thoughtfully, releasing the baseball and throwing it back.

Gerald also felt the nostalgia wash over him as he recalled just how far away that past was. He remembered their petty little fights as well as the great adventures they had went on just around the city, trips to the ice cream shop as well as Dinoland and the aquarium being much more fun. “Yeah man, time sure flies..,” he said solemnly, with a frown. “But I guess this just leaves us anticipating what’s to come, right?” Gerald finished with a little hope in his voice.

What’s to come? thought Arnold as he caught the ball again. The boy turned to look up at the sky in wonder. Clouds were moving in and he knew it was only a matter of time before the street lights turned on. He could hear the sound of the Jolly Olly man’s music in the distance and turned to look for the sound. The park was always the man’s last stop but he knew all the good ice cream was gone by then. Putting his hand in his pocket, he could also feel he didn’t have anything but change left anyway.

A silence passed through the boys as they heard the sound get louder and louder, before slowly being drowned out. Seems like no kids took the bait. Gerald could feel his stomach rumble a little at the thought of ice cream, however he also knew his mom would be mad if he spoiled his dinner this late. Speaking of it getting late, the young man also knew there was a looming question in his mind that he had done well to procrastinate asking upon. He threw the ball back to his patiently waiting friend before clearing his voice. “So umm… you know I hate to ask man, but you also know I gotta ask..,” he started as he fidgeted a little. “All the kids were talking and you know I’d rather hear it from you before believing any of them…”

“You mean about the fight, right?” Arnold bluntly asked, wishing his friend hadn’t brought it up.

“Yeah…” his companion breathed out. “I gotta look out for my best friend, right?”

Arnold rolled his eyes a little at the thought, but also knew it would eventually be asked. Heaving a big sigh, he started to walk over to a nearby bench, causing Gerald to follow. After sitting down and relaxing a bit, he decided he might as well come out with it. He knew Gerald meant well and was often a wealth of knowledge when it came to various things so what would it hurt venting to him a little?

“I guess all there is to really explain is Helga got upset that I helped out Lila and assumed something might be going on between us due to me once like-liking her. I told her the truth but instead of her actually remaining calm and listening, she got all angry and… well, acted like Helga,” he explained, feeling both drowned from exhaustion at the thought as well as a little irritated. “But what made it worse, is she actually blamed Lila for it!”

Gerald sat there patiently as he listened to his friend go on, ignoring the arrogance of feeling like he was right all along.

“I can understand jealousy just as well as the next person, but what I don’t understand is getting aggressive and lashing out at someone who wasn’t doing anything wrong. When I saw Lila liked Arnie, I didn’t treat my cousin any different. Sure, I really really… really disliked him for it but he didn’t do anything wrong.” Arnold looked up at his friend with pain lingering behind his eyes. He really wanted to understand Helga, he truly did, however her anger and ways of going about expressing herself were always very obnoxious and outlandish to him. “I just don’t get it, Gerald.”

Gerald shrugged. “I dunno man… it’s just Helga, you know? I mean, I thought you knew that going into this?”

“I did,” Arnold admitted before feeling a little foolish at himself, “At least, I thought I did.”

“Helga’s always been mean and rude to everyone. It’s just who she is, man,” Gerald continued before thinking back to all the things he had learned about her personality over the last year. “Sure she can be really surprising at times but really you were only the exception to that because she like-liked you. You don’t see her going out of her way to help me, do you? She’s even mean to Phoebe, her own best friend, Arnold. What makes you think that she’d suddenly stop?”

Recalling all the cruel things the girl had done in the past, Arnold couldn’t help but feel a little defeated. Gerald was right. He knew that she wouldn’t just suddenly up and change, even if he did come to understand her so why did this come as a surprise? He also knew how much of an amazing person she could be when she wanted to be which was part of what he couldn’t comprehend about her. She was smart. She was dedicated and loyal. She was strong and passionate yet inexplicably cruel to those she disliked. Why continue to be jealous over Lila when he no longer had eyes for her? He was the one who asked Helga to be his girlfriend, after all, so in her eyes she should have already won the fight. What was left to fight for?

“I just see so much good in her that it’s difficult to accept the bad,” Arnold finally said out loud. “I want to understand her but instead of being reasonable, she just flies off the handle.”

“Well yeah, that’s sort of my point Arnold,” Gerald replied, placing his arm on top of the backrest of the bench. “She’s Helga. Flying off the handle is sorta what she does.” He could see that his friend was becoming more and more depressed over his situation but decided to continue. “Look, I get that you always want to see the good in everyone Arnold, and that’s a great thing but sometimes you also have to accept the bad. Sorta like your grandpa and raspberries.” The topic caused Arnold to raise his head a little in interest. “Your grandpa really likes the taste of raspberries despite the fact he always winds up regretting it in the bathroom. It’s classic, man. This is basically the same thing.”

“I don’t get it,” Arnold said, looking confused.

Gerald sighed. “Just because you like the taste of something doesn’t mean you should put yourself through something painful just for the sake of being able to taste it, man. Helga is like your raspberries. You like her, even though I can’t comprehend why, and you seem to be willing to put up with all the flaws that come with her. I guess what I’m trying to get at is: is it worth it?”

The point his friend made was valid, however Arnold had a much better example. “Do you think all the pain and hardship we went through in the jungle was worth the outcome?” he asked curiously; eyeing his friend.

“Yeah but Arnold, finding your parents and being with this one girl are two completely different things,” Gerald replied, with pain in his voice at even having to compare the two situations. “There’s many fish in the sea but you only have one set of parents.”

“Fair point,” Arnold admitted. “But how about those really cool roller blades you wanted?” he continued to ask. “You went through a lot to save up the money to buy them. Isn’t this the same thing?”

Gerald remained silent for a second, before giving his best friend an odd look. “Sorta but my roller blades don’t bully my friends or hurt people.” He could see his friend wasn’t giving up justifying his relationship and knew he needed a better example, and he knew just the one. “Do you think all the crap that Jamie-O went through with his ex-girlfriend was worth it? All the chores he did for her, all the things he bought her, all the money he gave her just to keep her happy? Was that worth it, Arnold?”

Feeling as though he had just been punched in the gut by the question, Arnold choked. It was true, Gerald’s brother put up with a lot of mistreatment over a girl he liked, so how was this different? Allowing Helga to hurt his friends and cause them issues just to satisfy her insecurities was actually worse because it affected everyone, not just himself. Frowning, Arnold turned away.

“Look brother, I understand that she means a lot to you and that you see things I don’t but you gotta look out for yourself too. Do you really want to be a pathetic mess when you realize this is hopeless?” Gerald asked, placing his hand on his friends shoulder with compassion. “I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

Hopeless… is this really hopeless? Arnold thought to himself as he let the sounds of the park deafen his ears. He could feel his soul being sucked down to oblivion as he considered the thought. Was everything really for naught? Was his situation really comparable to that of Jamie-O?

Gerald could see that the conversation was really getting to his best friend and started to regret ever saying anything in the first place. Getting up from the bench, he thought maybe the walk back home might help Arnold feel a little better. “Come on man, let’s go before it gets dark.”

Thoughts began to flash before Arnold’s eyes as he remembered all of Helga’s hardships he had witnessed but forced himself to ignore in the past, all her pain and all of her turmoil from such a young age until now. He recalled how strong she had been through it all, and then remembered that it coupled with her everlong feelings for him. He remembered what she recently had to go through and then some. A scowl suddenly planted itself on the boy’s face. “No…”

“Huh?” Gerald asked, a little confused. “Your parents might get worried if we’re gone too long; you know how overprotective they can be sometimes.”

“That’s not what I mean,” Arnold said as he got up and looked Gerald square in the eyes. “It’s not hopeless, Gerald. She is nothing like that girl your brother dated. She isn’t taking advantage of me or using me. In fact, I haven’t given her anything but a place stay for a while until her family gets back on its feet,” he explained sternly, with a sort of ferocity in his voice. “You are right about one thing though, if I let Helga do what she wants, things will get out of hand but that doesn’t mean ending our relationship. It means reaching an understanding, Gerald. Helga may seem strong but deep down, the reason she acts so mean is mostly because it’s the safest emotion she has especially when things are bad for her. No, I can’t exactly understand why, but what I do understand is that I have to try to understand.”

“Arnold, why do you always have to try and act like an adult? We’re not even teens yet!” Gerald replied, beginning to become short with how ridiculous his friend was sounding. “Just admit when things are impossible and let them go! Even if you try to understand Helga, she isn’t going to change for you!”

“When I thought finding my parents was impossible, was it really right to give up all hope? If I had given up and believed they were gone forever, they really would be Gerald. Not giving up hope and believing they were still alive out there was what helped me get them back!” Arnold defended, “Think about it Gerald, how hopeless does being missing for 9 years sound to you?”

Arnold’s words had much truth to them and Gerald recoiled. “…Pretty hopeless, man.”

“Exactly, but I have them back and it’s all because I kept on believing they were out there and because Helga did everything she could to help me get them back.” The frustrated boy finished with a long winded sigh.

The two exchanged looks of unwavering opinions before Gerald finally accepted his defeat. “If you really think that Helga will actually change over time then… I’ll stick by you,” he said painfully, earning a look of appreciation. “But it doesn’t mean I’ll enjoy watching you get hurt. I’ve gone along with your crazy plans before but promise me that you’ll back down if it gets too bad?”

“I promise,” Arnold agreed with a nod.

Street lights started to flicker around them as they slowly turned on one by one. They both knew it was time to go home and Arnold knew what he finally had to do now. He also knew it wasn’t going to be easy reaching an understanding with his impenetrable girlfriend but he knew he had to no matter what. If it meant finally helping her turn a new leaf and letting herself enjoy life a little, the long fight between now and then was well worth it. He promised to protect her and promised himself that he would finally get to see her happy… truly happy.

“Let’s get going before we both get in trouble,” Gerald said as he pointed his thumb to the now bright lights in the distance.

 

As Arnold reached his front door, yelling could be heard on the other side. He opened it up and rushed inside to see his grandpa pushing little foam ear plugs into his ears, as well as his parents looking worriedly at each other.

“What’s going on?” Arnold asked; a little bewildered.

“Oh just the same as always!” Phil yelled as things were heard being smashed in the distance. “Oskar doesn’t know when to give up!”

“Should we step in?” asked Miles to his dad, “it sounds like it’s getting pretty serious in there!”

“It may sound like it but nothing good has ever come from trying to butt in, boy,” Phil replied with a shake of his head. “Meddling in someone’s relationship will never solve anything. Just let them yell it out and eventually it will be over.”

Gerty walked over to the old record player and began to play some loud music. “This might help a little. Saddle up, boys and girls! It’s time for a good old fashioned hoedown!”

“I suppose you’re right, Dad, but…” Stella said with a frown, listening for the bits of yelling she could hear over the speaker. “What if someone gets hurt?”

Phil let out a loud raspberry. “The only thing that ever gets hurt up there are their plates and Suzie’s wallet.”

Arnold shook his head with a frown and headed on upstairs. The loud noises just got louder and louder as he could hear the other boarders yelling “Be quiet!” and “Other people live here, you know!” mixed in with the original madness. As Arnold got to the long hallway of rooms, he couldn’t help but eye what was now Helga’s room. Was she in there? He wondered how she felt with all this yelling. Her father wasn’t a quiet person and he knew she was probably used to it all, which only made Arnold feel a little sad. She went from one dysfunctional family to another…

“But Suzie, I want to start a family with you!” Oskar cried from behind the sturdy wooden door.

“A family?! How can you even think of a family when all you can think about is yourself?!” Suzie cried back in a hoarse voice.

Arnold did his best to ignore the voices as he reached the pull string which lead to his bedroom stairs. Pulling gently on the string, the stairs slowly descended. Once dinner was done, he knew the fighting would end. Food always seemed to shut them up.

“That’s it! I’ve had enough of this!” screamed a familiar angry voice.

Just then, Helga’s room door swung wide open. She stomped out and headed towards the Kokoschka’s door. “Will you two pipe down! No one wants to listen to your soap opera bull crap!” she screamed at the door, however the yelling behind it didn’t cease.

Knowing she was only going to rile herself up further, Arnold walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t bother…”

“Don’t bother?!” she hollered over the couple’s voice. “How the hell can you stand it? Do you know how long they’ve been going at it?! An hour, Arnold! An hour!”

“I know…” he replied sympathetically, “But they’ll eventually tire out by dinner time, Helga. Yelling along with them and the rest of the boarders will only make things worse.”

Loud clanking and thuds came from beyond what they could see; giving their minds enough information to imagine what was going on. “And breaking things isn’t worse?! Bob didn’t even break things!” Helga shrieked at the boy, motioning her hands dramatically at their door.

“It’s none of our business, Helga,” Arnold reminded her with a painful smile.

His words only agitated her more. “Yeah well my business is being disturbed by them! So I think it is my business, Football head!”

Just as Arnold opened his mouth to refute her words, he was interrupted by the fighting adults.

“Please Suzie! Just give me another chance! I promise I’ll change this time! I swear it!” Oskar pleaded sadly.

“Just like you changed the last time and the time before that? I should have listened to my mother a long time ago! You’ll never change!” Suzie shouted back.

“This time will be different!”

“Different how, Oskar?! Have you found a job? No, of course not! That’s why you sold my things!”

“I had to Suzie, how else would I pay to live here? Do you want me to live on the streets like an old beggar man?”

“Maybe by getting a job like a normal man your age?! My father worked two jobs to support our family! Why must you forever act like a child?!”

“But please… Suzie…”

“And you want to bring a child into this world?!”

“It might bring us closer together!”

Arnold and Helga exchanged looks as they continued to listen on; not like they had much of a choice.

“You’re unbelievable… you know that?” Suzie said in a much calmer but almost amused tone. “That’s how selfish you are, Oskar. You would bring a child into this world and let the poor innocent thing suffer at the hands of your selfishness just because you think it might make me come back. If I was to defy all my self-respect and come back to you and have a child with you… what do you think would happen?”

“We would be a family, just like you want?” he asked, a little confused but with a sound of hope in his voice.

“No, Oskar. Then not only would I have to clean up after you and pay your debts and support you—but I would have to also tend to the child as well. I would have to feed all three of us with my minimum wage job, Oskar.”

“You’re a strong and beautiful woman, Suzie! You can do it! I know you can!”

An eerie silence washed over the boarding house for a few seconds before more smashing occurred.

“You’re unbelievable!” she screamed. “I didn’t think I could be surprised anymore by your selfishness but you just proved me wrong again! Congratulations, Oskar!”

“Suzie please, it was a compliment!”

“No it was you justifying your intentions towards me and my feelings into meaningless words! You love me but you hurt me! You need me but you abuse my kindness! You are nothing but the leech my family said you were in the beginning but I didn’t listen to them Oskar, and do you know why?! Because I had some delusion in my head that if I loved you enough and showered you with all the love your family never gave you that you would see the errors of your way and change!”

“But I have changed! I want to do so much more now! Look, I’ve even circled jobs in the newspaper!”

Suzie took a moment to get a hold on her emotions and took in a deep breath. “You have to either sink or swim and I will not sink with you anymore, Oskar. This is done. We’re over and I’m leaving and not coming back. Not like I have anything to come back to since you sold all my things! Maybe once you sink, you will finally learn what real struggle and suffering is like.”

Arnold knew that the fight was over and grabbed Helga’s hand and pulled her back into her room before the couple could catch them outside their door. They heard the room door swing up as the woman stomped down the hallway.

“Suzie wait! I’ll get your things back!” the sad man shouted after her.

“It’s too late for that Oskar,” she replied as her voice got quieter in the distance.

Muffled arguing could be heard as they got further and further away and all Arnold could do was swallow in hopes that their arguing would never reach that point. In fact, if it ever did he would have to keep his promise to Gerald after all.

Helga let out a loud noise of relief before collapsing back on her bed with a squeak from the springs. “Finally! I thought it would never end!”

Arnold scratched the back of his head and nodded. “I know they can be pretty bad… but hopefully that’s the first and last time you’ll ever need to hear that.”

“Geez, if that guy was always that bad then it’s her own fault for sticking with him for so long…” She mumbled into her pillow. “Serves her right to get her crap sold.”

“Don’t say that Helga…” Arnold frowned. “You don’t know their relationship.”

“I don’t?!” she asked loudly, raising her head to look at him in anger. “I just heard it loud and clear for the last hour. He’s selfish and insensitive and she’s so much of a meat head that wasted 12 years of her life because she couldn’t take the hint!”

“You could look at it that way…” Arnold replied, “Or you could see it as she tried her best and fought for what she believed in, even if the end didn’t turn out how she wanted.”

Helga huffed and rolled her eyes before laying on her back and staring at her ceiling. “At least she eventually called it quits… I gotta give the woman that much,” she said softly. “If she had brought a child into this world for that man, that child wouldn’t have a very happy life. I’m proof of that.”

Arnold understood where she was coming from and sat down on the bed next to her. “That may be true but if you weren’t here, I’d never know you,” he said, trying to give her some sort of pleasant feeling. “I’d never have my parents back.”

“You can’t excuse one misfortune for another, Football head. That’s not how life works,” the girl explained with a grim expression. “If Miriam had called it quits when she should have, neither Olga nor I would exist. She probably would have moved on to get some sorta successful accounting job and maybe even had found a better man. She would be happy. On the other hand, your parents probably would have died due to that sleeping sickness and your life would be sad. How can you measure your happiness over that of my mom’s?”

Frowning, Arnold knew she had a point and it made his heart sink. “You’re right… I never thought of it that way.”

Helga gave a small glance over at him once she heard the sadness in his voice, and regretted her words even if they were true. With a growl, she got up and faced him. “Stop it with that stupid face you’re making! I’m alive and here and so are your parents. Things happen for a reason, right? Get over it and move on! Sheesh!”

He could see she was putting her personal feelings aside for him, and let go of a little smile. There was some irony in their situation, however and it only brought on a good lead into the pressing topic of their own relationship and personal feelings. Inhaling a large breath, Arnold straightened his back and gave her a serious look. “Yes, you are alive and I’m very happy about that,” he started on a good but serious note, “and I want you to be happy as well.”

“Okay….?” Helga said, suspicions now dwelling within her. “What’s your point?”

“I know you weren’t happy today because I helped out Lila, however I won’t change who I am or who I’m friends with just to make you feel better, Helga.” He continued even though he knew it would only start another fight. He could see her face beginning to flush and knew if he didn’t continue before her outburst, he would never get a word in. “I think its admirable that both your mom and Suzie stuck with their relationships as long as they have even if you think they were both dumb. Everyone has redeeming qualities and not everyone can see them. I’m sure you mom sees something in your dad which keeps her around, just like Suzie saw something in Oskar that she wanted to help bring out. I know you’re a wonderful person and I know you mean well even when you’re yelling and angry but at the same time, you can’t stomp on my feelings to get what you want just like your dad and Oskar. It’s not fair to me…”

Helga took in a deep breath to quell her emotions to let the boy continue. She knew that he had probably been thinking about what he would say to her all day, just as she had done the moment she got into her new room.

“Lila is my friend, Helga. I have every right to help my friend, even if you don’t like her,” Arnold said as he placed his hand close to her leg, trying to show his compassion. “I will always be as patient with you as I can, but if you care about my feelings as much as you say you do… you’ll push these feelings of irrational jealousy aside and realize that you’ve already won.” The boy smiled as he said his last two words, hoping he got his point across.

The redness in her cheeks faded and Helga looked away. “It’s not as simple as you make it seem. You didn’t watch the person you’re dating getting all cozy with someone they once liked—nor will you ever because I’ve never loved anyone but you.”

“But Helga, I wasn’t getting ’cozy’ with her. I was helping her with math!” Arnold pleaded, hoping he could get her to look back his way.

“Math doesn’t require someone to be only centimeters away from the other person’s face, nor does it require people to practically hold hands!” she finally shouted, her voice echoing off the walls of her nearly empty room.

“When was I centimeters from her face or practically holding her hand?” he asked, honestly wanting to know at this point.

“Oh, I don’t know, when you were out stretched across the table and writing her notes down for her? You might as well have taken her hand and wrote them for her! Oh wait, you did write them for her! Helping her isn’t doing her work for her while feeling her breath on your face!” Helga explained. “It almost seemed like helping her was just an excuse to be alone with her now that she’s back! Just couldn’t wait to get her all to yourself, huh Football head? Just needed to hear all her stupid witty farm jokes in the quiet sanctity of the library!”

Recalling the exact moment she must have seen, Arnold sighed. “Helga, I was showing her a better understanding of fractions by drawing them out. She was having trouble and needed to visually see how breaking them down was done. Yes, I was reaching across the table but would you have rather I sat next to her? I’d have been just as close.”

“I’d rather you not have been there at all!” she replied and crossed her arms. “But no! You just had to rise and shine in the moment, offer your help and be the good little teacher’s pet you are by sacrificing your time to aid another.” She finished with a mocking tone.

“See? And this is the attitude I mean,” he said; becoming cross. “I understand that you didn’t want me to help her or be alone with her, but you don’t get to decide what I do. The library happened to be mostly vacant during that period and I can’t help that. We might be in a relationship, but she is still my friend and I have every right to offer my time to help her just like I’m offering my time to talk things out with you here and now.”

“So now talking to you is a privilege?” Helga sneered back.

Giving the girl an annoyed and dull look, Arnold rolled his eyes. “You know I didn’t say that.”

“No but you didn’t have to,” the girl replied, feeling a little hurt. “You make it seem like you deem people worthy of your time and your help as if you’re some high authority. This just in, Arnoldo--you’re just a regular kid like me!”

“Don’t you think I know that?” Arnold shouted, giving her a small shock. “You’re right, I am just a normal kid. A normal kid with friends. A normal kid who wants to help his friend.” His voice slowly calmed down as he talked. “A normal kid who has these complicated yet fascinating feelings for a girl he wants to help but won’t let him. A normal kid with problems that he wants to solve. So stop damning me for being a normal kid who wants to lead a normal and happy life…”

Arnold searched her eyes for understanding as his heart pounded deep within his ribcage. Adrenaline was coursing through his veins as his testosterone was let loose and into his brain. He stared at this complex girl and hoped with everything he had that she would feel what he was feeling. He wanted to reach out and touch her while she was still silent, but his body betrayed him as he remained as still as the dead just peering into her eyes. Would his words and feelings reach her or would her barricades and pride be too thick and stubborn?

The sound of a car passed by outside her open window, causing a draft to blow in and make her off white sheer curtains dance. She had heard his words. She understood their meaning. She could see he was reaching out to her with his eyes of longing, however her throat remained dry and her mouth shut. What could she possibly say to the boy in front of her? Would saying okay be enough? Should she throw herself at him and lose herself in passion? Surely the answer had to be something in the middle but as she wracked her brain, the answer wouldn’t come. Instead they both sat quietly, listening to the city street sounds.

Beginning to feel as though everything was for naught, Arnold let his hormones calm themselves and give way to a lonely feeling. He got up from her bed and headed to her door.

“Dinner is probably gonna be ready soon. I know you didn’t eat lunch and probably have been in here since you got home,” he spoke quietly as he gave into defeat. “I don’t want you to get any more sick than you have been… so please join us?”

As he reached for her door knob, Helga quickly rose and wrapped her arms around him, pressing her forehead against the back of his head. His body was so inviting and warm. His very essence was as comforting as a mother to an infant. Just what was he that he could stir her so?

“Thank you..,” she whispered out into his fluffy blond hair.

He could feel his heart begin to race again as he felt her body so close to his. Her words so quietly spoken into his ear made his body tingle all over, causing him to close his eyes and breathe deeply, allowing all his muscles that were once tense to calm down. He could feel her heartbeat against his back and placed a hand over her arms that embraced him so tightly. A shy but delighted smile grew across Arnold’s face and he wanted nothing more than to turn around and engulf them in a full embrace; however he knew she was currently doing as much as she could and didn’t want to force it.

“You’re welcome,” he whispered back, simply enjoying the moment of understanding they could share before going down to whatever chaos awaited them in the dining room.


	23. Chapter 23

The room felt musty and humid, with particles of dust visibly floating through the air. Miriam slouched inside a small arm chair and heaved a heavy sigh as she looked around the place. They had been staying at this motel for a few days now and she hoped things would change soon. Next to her lay her husband on the dingy full size bed, a beer in one hand and a TV remote in the other. In front of him was an old television that was showing some sort of game show that he liked to participate in. Every now and again, the man would yell at the screen or answer the host as if his voice would get through, but never during his TV time did Bob Pataki decide it was a good idea to pay any attention to his bored wife.

Miriam had become much more alert since the fire, as they no longer had anything she liked to drink to dim her senses. The money had to be saved as much as possible in hopes of them finding a permanent place of residency, which Bob made clear even if he himself decided to spend it on himself. After taking the room in and wondering how all this even happened, she gazed over at her husband hoping he would notice her. If she spoke, he would probably ignore her or shout at her to pipe down. This she knew very well. She wanted to discuss their situation, but he would only tell her that he was handling it and not to worry. She wanted to discuss Helga, but all he would say is that she's fine where she is. She wanted to discuss the two of them getting jobs but no matter how she badly wanted to assert herself, the woman knew she would be pushed away.

Next to her on a nightstand sat a newspaper which she idly flipped through. A few ads were circled in hopes of showing her husband, even if she knew the attempt was futile. She picked it up to look over at her choices once more: a housekeeping job, a telemarketer job, a vacuum cleaner sales rep job, and finally a job as a clerk for a small convenient store up the road. All of those jobs would be simple enough for them, even she knew that. At the very least, she didn't mind applying but would only do so once the room was quiet.

A commercial came on which lead Bob to groan loudly and take a sip from his lukewarm drink. He flipped through the channels for a moment but eventually came back to the same channel he was already watching in hopes that the commercial had ended.

"Can you believe these numbskulls? How do these people even get on these game shows knowing absolutely nothing?" he asked out loud.

"I… I dunno, B," Miriam replied, hoping it was directed at her.

He held up the remote and pointed his finger at the screen. "I'd make a killing getting on this show! It's so easy!"

Before the woman could respond, the commercial ended and she closed her mouth.

What were they even doing there anyway? Were they just staying there until the money ran out or was Bob really expecting a phone call? Miriam wasn't really sure, but she wanted to believe in the man as he would typically find his way out of tough situations. There were many times before the girls were born where the two of them had been stuck up a creek without a paddle and through sheer willpower, diligence, and witty speech, Big Bob Pataki ended out on top. Why shouldn't this time be different? She recalled all of their hardships where the man had proved himself to be strong and capable but… was he still that man? She contemplated this until coming to another question, possibly one even more important. Was she the same woman as back then? Definitely not. Before Miriam had decided to settle down and join the Pataki on his life's dreams, Miriam actually was rather confident and intelligent herself. She got all A's in her classes and even took a few college courses on accounting to be able to aid her future life partner in his goals. Although not very athletic, the woman had a fine muscular build and performed quiet well in physical activities. She had a love for classical music as well as a few fine arts. Reflecting inwards, was any of that relevant now?

The woman looked down at her frail body. She was worn, aged, and weak. She had little to no self esteem and didn't even know what was going on in her life anymore, let alone anyone else's. All of her talents were meaningless now, and her physique plummeted shortly after her youngest was born. As far as her interests went, her loving husband no longer indulged her in conversations about them, nor took them on dates like he used to. The records she used to own eventually got broken over time with no real urge to purchase them again. Books got lost and trinkets thrown away. Her only real interest now was living day to day in as much peace as possible. Did she know this was selfish? Yes. Miriam was fully aware that her vise was irresponsible; however, she just couldn't bring herself into stopping. Why should she? Everything she once was… was gone. Her husband, the man who was to bring her joy for the rest of her life, through thick and thin, until death due them part was only ever concerned with getting on top and winning the big bucks. Not for his family, of course, but just for his own pride and greed. He always did his best to remain happy so why couldn't she? She's was just as human as the next person. She had wants and needs as well, so why would it be bad to indulge? The obvious answer was putting her family first.

The thought of her daughters swam into the exhausted woman's mind. Olga had been very successful in all of her goals, and proved to be capable, even if a bit fragile at times. Miriam had always wanted to be a mother and once her firstborn came, she put all of her motherly instincts to the test. She nurtured the girl and taught her everything she knew. She would spend nights reading to Olga and coaching her with the wisdom she had acquired over her own lifetime, meanwhile her husband gave her stern and proper pushes in order to help her achieve her goals. Olga was such a bright and shining star from the moment she was born. There was no doubt in her mind that they had done well.

When Olga had reached a mature enough age, she began begging for a sibling. The two parents weren't sure that they would be able to take on such a task but to see their darling daughter's eyes light up always meant the world to them. Miriam couldn't help but want to give in, after all the girl didn't ask for much. The moment she found out she was pregnant; Olga leaped for joy and squeezed her so hard that Miriam thought her head might pop off. Never in her life had she ever seen her daughter so overjoyed. Of course she was always happy when she won awards or was acknowledged, but this was something very different. Her eyes sparkled and her face glowed upon hearing the news. Miriam remembered this day fondly and wished that the days after could have continued that way.

The pregnancy was much harder this time around, putting the poor woman in the hospital many times. The bills began to pile up and Bob put forth many extra hours at the Beeper Emporium to break even. With each passing day, things just seemed to get worse and worse but probably the worst part of all was seeing her husband's disappointed face to finding out they were having another girl. He demanded for a boy, but there was nothing anyone could do. The only person who was happy to hear this news was Olga. The thought of a baby sister to love and hold and teach only made the girl happier. By the time Helga was born, the happy and carefree family had changed into a much dimmer one. Bob was now engrossed in his business and Miriam was beyond exhausted. The baby girl was born healthy but an onset of colic made things very loud and messy. She cried often and didn't sleep much, causing the whole house to lose sleep. Miriam would have to take Helga on car rides in order to calm her down but unfortunately when she had to stop, Helga would wake up and wail. Her head pounded and her body ached. Miriam would beg her husband to give her a break, but he wouldn't budge and would remind her that he had his own job to do. Olga would often offer to help feed the young baby as well as change her, but often Bob would lead the older sister back to her room to study for some sort of test she had coming up or competition she was in. Miriam was alone.

Was Helga alone right now? How was she doing? Miriam really wanted to know but had no number to reach her daughter. She felt like a failure. If only she had jotted her friend's number down when she had the chance… but there was just so much going on. She knew where he lived, but Bob refused to leave the motel.

Feeling guilt rise up from the pit of her stomach, the worn woman looked at her husband's remaining two beers on the bed. She felt the urge to take one but knew it would only lead to the man whining which she wanted to avoid. She didn't even like taste anyway.

"It's number 9! Pick number 9!" Bob shouted and broke the woman's thoughts. Unfortunately, the contestants did not pick the number he shouted, which caused the boisterous man to slam the remote down on the bed angrily, accidentally turning off the television. "Criminy!" he growled before turning to his wife. "Miriam, what's for dinner tonight?"

The question caught her off guard and the woman found herself fumbling through a bunch of takeout restaurant menus. "Ummm… Well, we had Chinese last night..," she started as she sorted them. "How about Mexican? There seems to be a nice little place down the street."

"Miriam, you know I hate Mexican! Why would you even suggest that?" Bob groaned angrily. "What else is there?"

"Well, there are a few pizza places, or we could order Chinese again?" she suggested, hoping he would just pick one.

"What kind of pizza? Greek or Sicilian?" Bob raised his eyebrow.

"I'm… I'm not sure," the woman replied, defeated.

Bob grabbed the menus out of her hands and began to look through them. Eventually he came to something and threw the flimsy paper back at his wife. "This one. I've seen a few commercials for it so it's gotta be good."

Miriam picked up the menu and looked at it: Luigi's Pizza Palace. "Alright. Would you like me to call and order delivery or do you want to drive over there? They're only about 10 minutes away."

"Do I look like I'm ready to go out to eat?" he asked, motioning to the fact he was in a dirty t-shirt and underwear. "Order for delivery. I want whatever the chef's special is."

Frowning, Miriam picked up the motel room's phone and began to dial the number. She really wanted to leave that room but it didn't ever seem to matter.

After placing the order, Miriam gently put down the phone. Now was the chance of trying to talk to him and she knew she had to, even if she felt nervous. "Hey B, Why not go to that nice little boy's house tomorrow and check up on Helga?"

"Who?" Bob asked, picking up his remote again to turn off the buzzing TV.

"H-helga? Our daughter?" Miriam clarified.

"Oh, yeah, the girl. I already told you, she's fine Miriam. Girl knows how to take care of herself and besides," he continued as he flipped through the channels, "what good would it do to visit her? Not like we have some magical lamp to wish back my business and give her, her bed back."

His point was made but lacked concern for the girl's wellbeing at all. Remembering back to the day that Arnold had taken the initiative to help Helga get home, fed and tucked into bed made Miriam feel at ease. It was obvious that the boy cared enough for her daughter to make sure she was okay, but this was now the second day that she would have to be in his care. "It would make… me feel a little better," she replied with a lopsided smile, hoping it would sway him.

Despite his rough exterior, Bob would forever hold a flame for the woman even after all they had been through. Taking in a deep breath and letting out a loud groan, Bob turned to her. "Fine. Tomorrow we'll check up on her but I'm telling ya Miriam, she's fine."

Just then, his cell phone lit up and a small tune chimed from it. Without a second to pass, the man jolted for it and answered. "Yes, this is Bob Pataki," he stated into the small computer. "Yes. Yes. Yes that is my information."

Miriam listened intently in on what he was saying in hopes of them getting some good news but before she could even wish for a glimmer of hope, the man's face turned beet red.

"What do you mean it's still not there?!" he roared into the device. "You listen here, you half-cracked buffoon! I have invested a lot of money into that insurance and there is no reason to why it should have mysteriously disappeared! Either you're not doing your job or someone messed things up and it is YOUR job to fix it!"

With a small frown, Miriam got out of her chair and sat lovingly next to her partner. Luckily she was close enough to be able to hear the caller as well.

"I'm sorry Mr. Pataki, but there isn't anything I can do. We have reviewed your case several times, checked and rechecked our records and unfortunately we have no such records of you owning the insurance you speak of."

"This is absolutely unacceptable! Where did all my money go then?!"

"I would advise you to talk with your bank. If you've made such payments in the past as you've claimed, there should be some sort of information there with them. This is all I can do to help you, I'm sorry," the quiet caller said before promptly ending to call to avoid another loud outburst from the man.

Bob looked desperately at the woman. "Miriam, you remember we had insurance on our building, right? You remember me making out checks to them and paying every single month, right?!"

Miriam nodded. Although her memory wasn't the best, she did recall that he always paid bills on time and thought she recalled some sort of insurance besides the usual health, life and car insurance. "Yes, I do."

The man turned to his phone again and began to punch in the numbers to his bank. He was answered with a robot woman's voice explaining to him that his call was beyond business hours and to call back tomorrow between the times of 9am and 4pm. "You know what? Screw calling them!" he shouted. "Tomorrow I'm going to march down there to the bank and demand to watch them sort through my records. I'll get to the bottom of this if it's the last thing I'll do!"

Miriam closed her eyes and built as much courage as possible to ask her next question. "And suppose they do find a paper trail and find our money… then what, B?" she asked him honestly.

"I'll reinvest the money back into my business, of course." The big man responded proudly. "I already got an offer from a few companies. Not beepers, but an old manufacturing company across seas I used to deal with now makes off-brand cell phones. All I gotta do is start anew."

Nodding in understanding of his ultimate plan, she continued her questions. "But are we gonna… live here while you build a new empire? Shouldn't we buy ourselves a new home before you do that?"

Big Bob took his large meaty hand and rubbed his chin in thought. The topic had been brought up before but he hadn't really put too much thought into it yet.

"You know, like maybe rent an apartment?" Miriam suggested.

"The Pataki's living out of some rundown apartment owned by some shady characters? I don't think so, Miriam," Bob replied angrily. "My family deserves much better than that. I'm a King and a King needs a palace!"

His statement was rather ridiculous sounding as Miriam looked around the room again. They were already renting a room in a rundown place ran by shady characters. "What about a nice apartment? We could use this time to search around..," she said, avoiding saying what she really wanted. If she was going to convince her husband of something she wanted, she had to make it sound like he came up with the idea himself.

"Apartments are out of the question!" he hollered back. "You always pay far too much for what you're getting. You remember all the places we had in the past! Something always breaking and you don't get to choose who lives above or below you."

Now was her chance and she had to seize it carefully. "If only there was some way to avoid that, right B?" the woman began softly as she latched on to his large arm. The man looked down at her and she locked onto his eyes. "We have a decent amount of money left, even without the insurance we're waiting on. I'm sure the bank has a few foreclosed houses they're willing to show us… maybe one we could afford? That way, we won't have to deal with a landlord swindling your money."

Bob heard her words and the wheels in his thick head started to turn. "Hmm… you might be onto something..," he said quietly, still rubbing his chin. "Hey, yeah! Maybe we can even get our old house back! That thing's been up for grabs since they took it from us and we've got way more than enough to buy it back. Heck, I could even get them to lower the price due to all the damages I know it has!"

"You're such a shark, B!" Miriam smiled, knowing her plan had worked.

"Those bozos won't even know what hit em tomorrow…"

Dinner had been served with a thick awkwardness that veiled the room. Helga knew that the others staying in the boarding house were nuts, but never quite knew just how nuts. The food was quickly devoured just as soon as it was set in front of them, as well as pointless arguments and even a few physical altercations. Was this how Arnold always lived? This was even crazier than her own family but at least most of these people weren't related.

As soon as everyone was finished, the boarders left the dining room, leaving Arnold's family to clean up after the animals. Helga felt compelled to help but the moment she lifted up a plate, but Arnold's mother shoo'd her away back to her room to get ready for school tomorrow. Not that she minded, however. Helga was never a fan of cleaning dirty dishes especially if they weren't her own.

Helga got back to her room and realized something very important. How am I supposed to get ready for school tomorrow when I don't own anything to get ready with?! she asked herself silently. Rolling her eyes, she wondered if she had any spare clothes left at Phoebe's. After a quick phone call, much to her dismay, she did not.

"I would offer you some of my clothes, Helga, but I'm afraid they'd be too short for you…" Phoebe said sadly over the phone.

Knowing she was right, Helga frowned. "It's okay, Pheebs. I'll think of something," Helga replied as she rested her back up against the wallpaper that lined the hallway she was standing in.

"I wish you luck," Phoebe said hopefully before wishing her best friend goodnight and hanging up to get ready herself.

Helga moaned loudly as she slid her back down the wall and plopped on the floor. She cursed her luck. How desperately she wanted to shower. At this point, she almost wanted to burn her clothes just to get rid of the stench that reeked all over them.

Hearing nearing footsteps up the stairs, Helga moved back to her feet just in time to see her beloved emerging out into the clear. The sight of the boy made her insides relax and her heart flutter.

Approaching, Arnold graced her with his splendid smile. "It's almost bedtime here. It gets pretty quiet here at night… will you be needing anything before you go to sleep?" he asked before scratching the back of his neck. "Yesterday you really didn't get the chance to… you know, settle in."

His question only reminded her of her unfortunate luck. "Sure, Football head. Turn back time and save my clothes!" She groaned loudly. "I'd kill for a shower but what am I gonna put back on? These things?!" She finished as she pulled on her pink dress.

Her complaints lit a light bulb in the boy's head. "You could always wash your clothes here. We have a coin-operated washing machine and dryer in the basement. I know it's late but I'm sure my family wouldn't mind if you washed them now, given the circumstances."

"That's all well and good but do you just expect me to waltz around here naked while they're washing?!" Helga asked, a touch more irritated before.

Arnold thought for a second. Her dilemma was pretty tricky and unfortunately, she wouldn't be able to fit any of his mother's or grandmother's clothes, nor were there any other females residing in the Sunset Arms. There was only one thing he could think of, but the thought brought a blush to his cheeks and he hesitated before speaking. "Well… I know I'm shorter than you, but maybe I could find you something to wear? Sometimes my Grandma likes to buy me bigger clothes than fit me. I probably have a few shirts in my closet… if that isn't too weird for you."

With eyes wide and dilated, Helga was shocked he even suggested that. His clothes? Me wearing his clothes?! This has to be a dream come true! I'll sleep like a baby if I can smell him all night! she thought dreamily before snapping back into reality and putting on her usual scowl. "Sounds pretty stupid to me, after all you're really short. I mean, did you ever even hit your growth spurt yet? I bet you'll stay a shrimp forever," she said, poking him in the shoulder playfully. "But at this point I'll do anything to get these off."

Arnold nodded and headed towards his room. "Stay right here and I'll be back. I'm sure I'll find something large enough for you to be comfortable in."

Helga watched as he disappeared into his room and lost balance, nearly falling over. She held onto the wall for support. "Oh my love! To be wrapped in your intoxicating scent would be most divine…" She swooned quietly. Helga began to imagine what he might come down with. Would it be so small that it would be revealing? What if it was something that hugged her curves and made herself look sexy for him? Should she show off her goods? Knowing full well how underdeveloped she still was didn't put a damper on her fantasies and the thought of him letting giving in to his urges and courting her into privacy only made her swoon harder. If it wasn't hearing his bedroom door opening again, her heart might have actually exploded from excitement.

"This is all I could find…" he said softly, descending his creaky stairs. "It's not much but I hope it at least fits. It's two sizes too big and I'm actually beginning to wonder if maybe this was intended for my Dad at one point and not me."

He held out a plaid shirt that was very similar to the long sleeved one he wore in fourth grade, however it was indeed very large compared to him. She took the garment and looked it over carefully. It was obvious that it had hung in his closet for a long time due to its musty smell but the waft of his scent still hit her nose and made her sigh. She measured it up to her body and gave an unsure face. "It might work but it might as well be a dress on me."

"You're always wearing a dress, Helga," Arnold informed her, a sly look in his half lidded eyes.

Just what is he thinking?! Helga demanded to know but didn't dare ask. "And just what am I going to shower with? I don't suppose you got a random gift box of body supplies in your closet too, do you?"

"No. That I don't have but I could see if my mom will let you use her stuff. You're both girls, after all," he suggested with a shrug.

"Your family has already done enough for me as it is," Helga replied flatly, crossing her arms. "I'm not trying to ask for even more handouts. It's bad enough I have to wear your clothes!"

The boy frowned and understood where she was coming from. Helga wasn't one to accept much help and already her pride had been compromised to its max. "I suppose… you can use my stuff? It's not super manly or anything, just basic run of the mill off brand that my grandpa picks me up so I can't guarantee if it will dry out your hair or something…"

Oh my sweet and merciful Angel! With how luscious your hair always is, I highly doubt it would to anything to the straw-like hair I already possess but bless your heart for worrying about its health! Helga cooed in her head. "I suppose it will do… for now anyway," she replied to him with a snort before starting towards the bathroom to lather herself up in whatever velvety soft product he happened to use. "I'll just call my parents tomorrow and hope they give me some money to buy my own stuff for the future."

Quickly Arnold ran back upstairs to grab his shower caddy for the girl in waiting. Back in the day he was able to leave his stuff in the bathroom, however Oscar was now in the habit of using other people's things to avoid getting his own and Phil finally implemented a rule to put a stop to it. "No personal items left in the bathroom or they'll be tossed out!" The thought of her using his things wasn't particularly uncomfortable, after all Gerald had used them a few times during their sleepovers, but he couldn't help but feel a little… happy. Unable to place why, he ran downstairs and handed her his belongings.

"Thanks, Shortman!" she replied with a wink before opening the bathroom door. "I plan on taking a nice long and hot shower so don't wait up!"

"But Helga… You don't know how to get to our basement to wash your clothes and I highly doubt you have quarters for it," Arnold replied with a cross of his arms and an obvious look.

With a short blank stare, Helga realized he was right about one thing: She did not have money but she wouldn't let the cat outta the bag that she knew his building just as well as he did. Letting out an aggravated sigh, Helga slammed the door in his face. "Fine! Just wait in your room and I'll make it quick," she yelled from behind the thick wood barricade.

Arnold chuckled to himself before heading back up to his room in wait. He opened his desk drawer and pulled out a few rolls of quarters. He wondered how he should feel about all this. Her wearing his clothes and using his shower supplies; it was almost as if they were married or something.

However Helga knew exactly how she felt: Fantastic! She danced off all of her soiled clothing before turning on the hot shower. She sang to herself while steam quickly filled the room and she gracefully stepped inside. The water felt wonderful on her skin and she could already feel her misery melting away with every water drop. If only she could feel like this forever! Carefree and nakedly dancing in her love's shower. The same shower he uses every day… along with a bunch of other strangers but that wasn't the point! She reached for his aromatic shampoo that she loved so much and lathered her hair up in it. The overwhelming scent of the boy she pined for filled the room and she swooned loudly. "This must be what heaven is like!"

The shower finished with Helga feeling very refreshed as she dried her body off with a fluffy white towel and hung it to dry, before adorning Arnold's overly large clothes. The shirt ended just above her knees but still showed a decent amount of leg. She began to button the shirt up and wondered just how much she should leave open? Buttoning it to mid breast, she looked at herself in the steamed up mirror. "No, I don't have enough to sustain this," she told herself as she buttoned it up more. All the way up to the final button made her look like a geek, so she unbuttoned it a few until it reached just below her collar bone. It was enough to show off a bit but not too much, leaving much to be wondered by the only boy she ever wanted to see her like that. "This ought to do it!"

Wrapping her hair up in the damp towel, Helga opened the bathroom door, letting all the hot air rush out and giving her much needed oxygen. She filled her lungs before looking back and forth to make sure no one would see her. It wasn't like she was indecent or anything but still. The last thing she needed was one of his creepy boarders to see her almost half naked. After gathering her sticky clothing, she hurried up to Arnold's room and tapped on the door.

"One second," she heard him call out.

"We ain't got all night, Football face so let's take the lead out!" she replied in a hushed but rather warning tone.

Arnold opened his door to reveal that he was already in his bed clothes. "Sorry Helga, I had to get dressed too."

Despite already having seen him in these clothes, the blonde couldn't help but blush a little and withhold a squeal from deep within her. She walked back down his stairs and waited patiently for him to follow. "Lead the way."

Slowly stepping down his stairs in hoping it wouldn't creak too much and disturb anyone, Arnold followed her instructions and began leading her down the second floor, then to a door which led to the basement. It was dark and humid and Helga could smell the scent of laundry that had recently been done.

Arnold flipped on a light switch to illuminate their path. "Come on," he said with a smile, leading her through rooms.

Once at the washing machines, the helpful boy showed her exactly how to load the clothes and how much money to deposit. He noticed that his parents left their laundry soap unattended and handed the bottles to her. "Here."

Helga accepted them and went about her business, leaving young Arnold to watch her as she went. He paid mind into not looking her over too much but couldn't resist the blush that unknowingly mounted his cheeks. He'd seen her in a bathing suit before which showed off way more than his shirt, but something about the way it fell on her just made him feel fuzzy. "You know, even after you parents give you some money to get clothes and supplies, feel free to keep the shirt as sleepwear if you want," he said casually, wanting to help with a little extra to hide.

"You assume they'll even give me money," she growled after shutting the lid on the washing machine loudly. Unbeknownst to him, she was fully aware of his eyes.

"They have to," Arnold replied hastily, "They're your parents. They can't just leave you with nothing."

Helga sighed and turned around. "You act like you've never met them before, Arnold. They've left me to fend for myself since I was four years old. Sometimes with no food, sometimes with no ride in the cold rain or snow. It doesn't matter what's going on," she explained. "Worst comes to worst, I'll ask to borrow some money from Phoebe until they manage to give me some. I've done it before."

Wanting nothing more than to offer her his allowance, Arnold knew full well that she wouldn't take it and would only respond in how she wasn't his charity case. "Alright, but I'll be sure to at least get you lunch money tomorrow."

"Whatever," she said with a flip of her hand before walking in front of him and into a doorway. "How long does the wash usually last?"

"About 35 minutes," he said, allowing her to lead the way as he turned the lights off to save his grandparents' electricity.

"I'll shove them in the dryer, then go to sleep. Do you have an extra alarm I can use to wake up early? I'd rather grab my clothes in the morning before everyone is awake than stay up late and not wake up at all," Helga asked, hoping to dear God that no one would be up to see her in this getup.

Arnold nodded and shut the basement door behind them as they entered the first floor once again. "I should have one in my desk. I use it sometimes when I'm afraid my usual alarm won't wake me."

The boarding house was very quiet and as the two pre-teens made their way through the house, it seemed like every single noise that was made was echoing. They both rushed upstairs until they got to her bedroom. "I'll wait here and you grab it," Helga stated as she opened her door and leaned against the doorway.

She watched as he ran up his stairs and disappeared before making her way to her bed and unfolding the top comforter. Wondering how comfortable the bed would be on the inside, she gently lay down and pulled on the covers. It was significantly warmer than she expected and knew she'd have to keep her window open. She wiggled around to feel the springs resist against her. The bed was clearly old but not older than her old mattress. This will work, she thought, removing the damp towel from her hair and throwing it on the ground.

Hearing Arnold beginning to head her way, she quickly removed the blankets and sat in a cross legged position. If she was gonna show off anything worthwhile, her legs were her only go-to. Helga cleared her throat and did best to get comfortable as she awaited her company.

"Sorry it took so long…" Arnold said as he fidgeted with the small palm sized alarm clock. "It needed batteries."

"No big deal," Helga replied casually, waiting for him to look up.

After a small click of the bottom compartment snapping together, Arnold looked up to walk towards her but stopped in his tracts.

"What is it?" she asked coyly, knowing full well what it was. "You gonna give me the alarm clock or not?"

The image of her sitting in his clothes, suggestively positioned, as well as her damp, wavy hair cascading down her shoulders made a shiver go down the boy's spine. Her image almost reminded him of that weird dream where they were locked in their classroom together. With a gulp, Arnold managed to budge his firmly planted feet from the floor to hand off the clock. "Yeah… Here."

"Thanks!" she said as she quickly snatched it out of his hands and placed it on the nightstand next to her, beginning to set her alarm.

Arnold felt compelled to watch her every move and it stunned him as if taking his eyes off her, even for a second, would be the most regretful thing he had ever done. The way the shirt rose a little up her thigh as she stretched to fiddle with the buttons, the way her hair fell in front of her face and made her brush it away. Did she know how she was making him feel? The urge of walking over to her and getting as close as possible washed over the young man, but his body remained stunned in place.

"You know, if you take a picture it will last longer, Football head," she said, snapping him out of his daze.

A flood of red came over what felt like his whole body as he realized she knew he was watching her. Quickly he spun around to look at her open doorway. "I-I'm Sorry!" he shouted a little too loud for that time of night. "I r-really didn't mean to s-stare."

Helga let out a small chuckle before finishing her task and looked over at the straight standing soldier. She could help but feel a little sorry for him, even though it was her fault he was feeling so embarrassed now. It was amazing to think that, just mere hours ago, their relationship was on the verge of ending and now she was successfully entrapping him into something that easily came out of a romantic comedy.

Maybe Gerald was right… Arnold thought as he tightly closed his eyes in trying to focus the inevitable red coloring on his skin to go away. Maybe I don't have as much discipline and self control as I thought. But the image seared into his mind wasn't leaving anytime soon.

Feeling a bit sorry for the kid, Helga let out a soft sigh and knew she shouldn't torture him anymore. He was far too innocent for her to play games with this early on, even if it was fun. "It's not really that big of a deal, you know," she spoke, gaining his attention but not enough for him to turn around. "I mean… I am your girlfriend after all, right? If anyone has a right to look at me, it's you."

Arnold's body quaked a little from the permission she was giving him but he refused to turn around even still. "That might be, but it was still very rude of me. I really didn't mean to stare," he said with frustration in his voice.

Now becoming annoyed with the fact he was being this knightly, she let out a small growl. "Stop being such a dweeb and turn around, Criminy!"

Her demand sent him to obey and Arnold turned back around. She was sitting normal on her bed, covers a little bit messed up and with an annoyed face. The hue still hadn't fully receded but he was still working on that.

"What's so bad about you seeing me? It's not like I'm giving you a peep show," she continued on, trying to defend him for himself.

"B-but still..," he responded, looking at the floor before her, in a low voice, clearly ashamed for his acts. "My Grandpa always taught me to respect others' privacy and this is no different."

"And I clearly wasn't asking for privacy, now was I?" Helga responded with a stern voice. She couldn't help but notice that the boy was still blushing and doing his best to look at the floor and not her. She knew not to take this as an insult but his awkwardness only made her feel a little self conscious. "And… now you're making me feel awkward..," she said, feeling her own face become rosy. Helga had always been rather self-confident, even with her newly blossoming body, but she was beginning to feel exactly how Arnold was feeling; embarrassed. Tucking herself underneath her bed covers, Helga pulled the comforter up to her neck and got comfortable. "Better?" she asked, hoping he would at least look at her now.

Arnold picked his head up and nodded. "Yeah, thanks..," he said sounding rather relieved which made Helga feel a bit worse. He walked over to her bed and sat down next to her, resting his arms over his knees. "I didn't mean to make things awkward. Sorry if I offended you at all… It's just…." His voice trailed off into thought.

"Just new to you?" she suggested, causing him to glance over at her in surprise. "It's not like this isn't new for me too." Her voice sounded honest and almost girlish. "Not only am I living with you, but I gotta rely on you for a while too. You're not the only one feeling uncomfortable, Arnoldo."

"Yeah…" Arnold agreed, giving Helga a small smile. "It's strange to think how so much can change within such a short period of time. While I was at the park with Gerald, we were talking about how it seems like just yesterday we were entering the third grade where our only real concerns were waking up super early to catch Saturday morning cartoons." He paused for a second, letting it all sink in again. "It's weird, isn't it?"

Helga let out a huff and crossed her arms. "You think that's weird?" she challenged with her usual harshness, "Try fawning after someone day and night for practically your whole life from the shadows, following them, making altars and poems of them and…" As she continued, she realized how much information she was spilling and cleared her throat, "and ignore I said all that," she said with a squeaked, high pitched voice, causing Arnold to let out a small giggle in response. "Point is, try wanting to have someone notice you and then… they finally do. And you live with them. And are using their shampoo and clothes, for cripes sake! That's a little weirder, dontcha think?"

Although he could probably never imagine what this all felt like for her, he did understand where she was coming from. "Try living your whole life practically without parents, thinking they're probably dead just to suddenly have them back again. It's like a dream."

They looked at each other in content silence for a while before Arnold rose back to his feet. "It's getting late and you gotta be up early. I'll let you sleep."

Helga watched him as he walked over to her door and grasped the doorknob. Honestly, she didn't want him to leave but knew it was not only unacceptable for him to stay but would be highly frowned upon by his family. "Good night, Arnold," she said with her shy true voice, letting all her worries and defenses go.

Smiling, Arnold chose to not look back as he knew it would only make him want to stay longer. If only they could always be like this. "Good night, Helga," he said softly before quietly leaving and shutting the door behind him.

Helga let her body collapse back on the bed with a longing sigh. "If only this could last forever…"

The very moment the sun peaking through the hotel's window blinds pieced Bob Pataki's eyelids, he awoke with a mission. He pushed his sleeping wife beside him. "Wake up Miriam, it's time to go," he said, determined, before getting out of bed and searching for a pair of decent pants.

"Huh?" Miriam moaned out with a tired, groggy voice. "Where are we going?"

"To the bank, remember?" Bob answered, thrusting one leg through his pants, then the other. "We gotta find out just where our money is and possibly con them into giving us our house back."

His voice was like music to her ears. Miriam smiled and sat up in bed. "Oh yeah, yeah. I remember."

"Good, now hurry up and get ready." Bob gave his wife back a small smile, something he didn't do often enough. "We got a lot of work to do today."


End file.
